My poor garden, are you still alive? 😳

Today is the first day of spring. And Sunday is a wonderful coincidence, when life itself seems to hint: go, see what's left of your hopes. And it's really scary to look there. Sometimes it's better not to know than to be disappointed. But we'll still have to find out...

Winter was evil this year. Real, without discounts. The frosts lasted so long that I stopped checking the forecasts. At first I ran, covered, poured in, worried. Then I got tired. And at some point I just said to myself: well, whatever happens, it will happen. I'm not the first, I'm not the last. A garden is generally about humility. In addition, depression, work and care for dogs and birds, multiplied by severe cold, took away all my strength... I'm sorry, my dear garden...

Today I finally came out with the inspection. I won't say it was successful. I just couldn't get to some places in the garden. The gates are still either covered with snow or covered with ice. They can't be opened. There is still snow on the islands all over the yard. It's wet, heavy, gray, sometimes failed. Under it are my poor roses. Dark branches stick out like fingers. Alive? Not alive? I don't understand yet. Thuja looks strange - kind of green, but kind of offended. Conifers are generally the most dramatic after winter. They stand and are silent.

Fruit trees are also still without signs of life. The branches look dry, the bark has darkened in places. I walk, touch, look closely, as if something will change from my gaze. You can't solve anything now anyway. Spring will figure it out by itself. We'll probably have to get back to it next weekend.

But the dogs are happy. They don't care at all what survived the winter there and what didn't. They run through the wet snow, sniff old tracks, argue at the door, who will be the first to leave. The main thing for them is that I'm at home. That I went out into the yard. That you can just be there. Then they'll drag all this spring phlegm into the house. It's good that so far the paws are only wet. And soon they will become dirty! I need to have time to clean the yard before my house is equal in "cleanness" with the blurred spring beds.