It was with a shock that my son came back after taking Alaina out to ride her bike, to inform us, that the daffodils in the community garden, had bloomed. It is only February and Spring is a long time coming normally in Tennessee. Infact he had told me that February is one of the coldest months in winter. So much for the Climate Change deniers. Those who don’t want to believe there is Climate Change happening to our climate, because of human causes.

We're the ones who burn fossil fuels and clear trees that absorb carbon dioxide, sending heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. The quicker we accept, it the faster we can take remedial measures to save our planet. Becoming warm in February is fine, but what about the intense heat in June and July? Thats how the wild fires start here in the Smokies and other parts of the country.

I immediately rush down with my camera to ‘shoot’ the golden daffodils all blooming in large clumps and nodding happily in the breeze. Several golden clumps of them were blooming thickly around the circular garden periphery, making a beautiful contrast with the bright blue of the sky.

A stale piece of salmon took me up to the Peach trees planted by my son on the edge of his large yard. I dig around the roots and put the salmon and milk waste to help them get better nutrition. There too it was with a sense of shock that I noticed the peach blooms all over the young tree. Delicate pink petals and no leaves at all. Gave me so much happiness to see them, but I won’t be here for the fruit.

Instead a mosquito net has been brought from India, to cover the tree to keep the fruit from the birds. It is sad that every single fruit that they grow on the trees are gobbled up by the birds, since they work all day and the birds can eat the fruit with impunity, with no one in the house.

During an earlier visit, the blackberries had fruited and grew thick on the vine. To save the fruit for Alaina we made a cage to enclose the vine with plastic mesh and she was finally able to eat a lot of fresh black blackberries off her own prickly vine.

Just a few doors away, a decorative pear is in thick bloom. Pure white, the tree looks amazing, spreading infront of the house, making a beautiful picture. I have seen a pair of them blooming infront of a church down the road and intend getting a picture of that, before I leave. With the quantity of rain every thing is coming up green and looking happy.

This is not the season for the Dogwood flowers, but the Red Bud are in bloom and a couple of beautiful pink Magnolias too have been spotted in various locations. All the Knock Out Rose trees are full of leaves and the mauve rose bushes we had planted up in front too are full of fresh new red leaves.

But what is beginning to look amazing too are the lawns. Everywhere, the goldy brown lawns when I first came in, in November are turning a fresh green. Huge swathes of green and soon the lawn mowers will be heard everywhere keeping the gardens looking trim and like picture books.

But spring brings the Dandelions that Alaina loves and runs to pick the goldy yellow flowers. Dad hates them, she says and I explain why and how they spoil his lawn. She understands in minutes and then races around the yard pointing them out to me, to dig out and throw into the trash.