I don't see dead people but I do hear frogs

The northern hemisphere continues to decompress from the extended cold spring and with it my mood brightens.  I do like the four seasons (as opposed to the Four Seasons which is a dull pile of bricks) but February and early March I find typically difficult.  That feeling has extended into late March and early April this year with the protracted cold period.  However, things are now literally heating up north of our equator.  Today was sunny and the temperature topped out at 81F.  Consequently, all sorts of bulbs have shown their blooms, trees have leafed out and, for me most importantly, the frogs have returned.  I love the racket they make and the hundreds of little amphibians they leave in the pond.

One of the two sloe trees we planted is starting to flower, .  We planted it a few years ago now (I don't remember how many) and this is its first flowering.  The sloe is in the rose family Rosacea. It is native to Europe, western Asia, and northwest Africa and obviously is naturalized in eastern North America.  It produces tart Plum-like fruit in the autumn.  We planted ours because in the UK the fruit can be made into jams or chutney.  Naturally, we will use the fruit to make sloe gin.

Otherwise life goes on.  We recently had the lower paths covered in new wood chips and they are popping out like highways in the woods