Sunday stroll . . . . . . . . .

Yesterday was such a perfect day here.

We took an afternoon stroll with our daughter through her neighborhood, 

breathing in the air filled with the scent of freshly mown grass and blossom.

Daffodils and hyacinths everywhere - oh the perfume of the latter - always

 amazing.

Under a cloudless, deep blue sky, children were outside, playing - always a nice

 thing to see these days - riding bikes and motorized 'cars'.  Imagine driving

 your own tiny Land Rover or Jeep before you're even old enough for kindergarten! 

Their parents chatted with neighbors in the street, cute dogs were being walked, birds 

were singing and poking through mounds of dried leaves in the shrubbery

and woody areas. . . . . . . 

Spring is in the air!

A female red-tail hawk watched from the wood.

I want one of these in my garden.

Speaking of gardens - I've gotta go now - need to work in mine today, deadheading, 

pruning, and a lot of cleaning up awaiting.

Are you gardening yet?

. . . . . eeeeek!!!!!! Tiny house guests soon?

How adorable are these mice!

I just found them in an Asheville shop - part of an early 

display of Christmas items.

The fact that there were girls and boys, dressed in

trousers and flirty skirts, with cute tails 

and perfect mouse ears, made a purchase of just 

two quite easy, and not expensive.

My biggest fear however is that with the cold weather now settling in, the 

real mice may be back before I can shake a stick set a humane mouse trap!
Sad as it may be to catch them this way, I cannot have those little nightly 
visitors running around the cottage. We've stuffed all access points, around pipes, 
back of stove etc. with copper mesh but, as the exterminator told us, a teeny mouse 
only requires a tiny 1/4" opening to get through!  The house is on a crawl space, 
apparently they come up from there, so traps are set down under.

We didn't spy a single mouse for the first twenty five years we lived in this house, 

now, for the past several years, they seem to enjoy sharing our home, especially
 during the winter.
Any tips for sending those tiny creatures on their merry way are welcomed, thanks.