I thought spring had sprung last week, but perhaps it was only an illusion, a temporary one at that.

I awoke Monday morning to snow on the ground, the last thing I would have expected given the weather last week.

The little spring flowers should be able to survive, even though my thermometer read 21 degrees. They have only recently managed to peek their little heads out of the ground and now this. I always wonder how the flowers know it is spring. I suppose it has something to do with the soil temperature. I can only guess.

I know that I would like to see more of them about right now, much more than I would like to see more snow. I suppose I have seen enough snow for one season, I am ready for the change.

I felt like I might freeze yesterday. The weather was tinged with an arctic chill, with little snow flakes flying around as if on some mad carnival ride and I forgot to bring my coat along. I thought it was already in the truck. I was, but it wasn't. Luckily, I was able to borrow one from my father after church and wear it the rest of the evening as I worked on emptying my building. I moved another truck load, my second from that building. It will soon be time to move the bees.

There is an apple tree in my yard and I bet they can help it pollinate. I hope the apples are good for baking and canning. Along with the apples, I am hoping for a good honey crop this year after last year's disappointing season. I didn't get one single jar of honey last year. It isn't starting off well this year, as I checked my bees earlier and I think I lost at least one of my three hives and maybe two. I have been told that this is the hardest time of the year for them, since there really aren't any flowers or other sources of food.

It isn't really that easy of a time for anyone, but change never is. It seems like I never know whether to wear a coat and sweater or shorts and a T shirt.

I usually opt for something in between, that way I am not overly cold and not overly hot. That is a luxury provided to those of us who spend much of our work week indoors. Most of my life is spent in places where the temperature hovers around 70 all the time.

I remember when I used to work outside every day, it made a big difference to me when the weather changed. If I forgot to bring my warm hat and coat when the weather turned cold, I paid for it all day long. I used to work for a company that recycled a product after testing. I spent much of my time on the back of a truck loading boxes or in a big garage area with no doors, shoveling metal pieces into barrels or doing some other menial task for less than appealing wages. Even so, I learned several valuable skills, such as how to run an acetylene torch, how to weld and work with metals. I never did get to expert level, but they paid me nonetheless.

That was one of the coldest jobs I ever worked. There was absolutely no heat in the building, so whatever heat the torches put off or the welder, that was all there was. It was even worse when I was outside in the whipping wind on the back of an open truck.

Besides that, I have worked construction jobs, including a brief stint as my own employer. I won't say I'll never do that again, since I would do whatever I need to do to support my family. But I can note, given what a pain in the rear some people can be, I don't plan on it. I barely squeaked out a living doing that anyway. I always felt badly about charging high prices to my family, the elderly or the disabled, which is where a good deal of my business came from. I usually don't charge family members at all.

I didn't get much done this weekend, since I had to drive to my sister's house in southern North Carolina to pick up a bedroom suite. Her husband's mother is moving in with them and they are trying to get rid of some of their duplicate furniture. Their extra stuff is nicer than my main stuff, so I decided to purchase a bedroom suite off of them and haul it home Saturday. It was in excellent condition and the price seemed reasonable to me.

I called the fellow who is staying at my place in the woods to see how he was doing. He said he is fine. That was exactly what I wanted to hear.

Now that my two properties in Virginia are under control, all I have to do now is get my Sparta place in order. Having time to focus on my own home instead of everyone else's is a real bonus for me. I plan to put up a fence along the road right-of-way, cut a couple of trees and plant a few more as a screen.

I remember someone telling me that Leyland cyprus trees will grow about three feet in one year. That sounds like a good hedge. Now if I can only find a good stack of locust fence posts, I'll only need someone to help me build the fence.

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