The spring treasure hunt

The birth of this blog topic took place in the grocery store this past Sunday.  I don't even know how we got on this topic, but I said hello to one of the employees who I see in the store all the time and before you know it we were discussing the fine art of spring yard clean up and what that means to a dog owner.  What amazed me the most about the conversation was how we both were waiting for the exact same moment to begin our yearly clean up task.  There was some incredible bond between us.  A bond between two dog owners that knew exactly what the other was thinking and feeling.  And here I thought I was the only one who was eagerly awaiting a perfectly crisp sunny March morning to begin the job that awaits.

The yard looks so pretty and white covered in snow.  This is how my yard looked two weeks ago.  Actually, this is how my yard looked from the first week of December until about three weeks ago.  Then it rained about 2 inches, melted all the snow and then it snowed again.  That is why my yard looked like this two weeks ago.  Then it rained about 1 inch, melted all the snow and then it snowed again.  My yard looked like this last week too.  But I have three dogs.  There are hidden treasures waiting for me under the snow.

I have had a glimpse at the vast glory of all those gems scattered around the yard twice in the last two weeks.  Most years we will experience at least one thaw in mid winter so that I can split my yard treasure hunt into two parts.  Not this winter.  The snow has been unrelenting in its coverage of the yard.  Those waiting treasures have multiplied to astronomical proportions over the course of three straight months of snow.  So the wait begins.  You see collecting all the yard treasures requires the perfect weather conditions that have to coincide perfectly with my work schedule.  Obviously the snow has to be gone for the hunt to begin.  It can't be raining.  In fact it can't even be above freezing or else the awaiting prizes turn into piles of mush.  It can't be too far below freezing either because the valuables become one with the ground and are impossible to remove without digging up the yard.  No, the perfect conditions are a sunny morning with temps in the upper 20's and expected high temps to rise into the 30's or 40's.  On mornings such as this, there is a glorious hour or two when collecting the treasure is at its best.  The gems hold their shape, but yet lift easily from the ground.  Heaven.

And so the grocery store employee and I had this great conversation about waiting for those perfect conditions.  And we will wait a little longer.  Yesterday the sun came out and melted most of the snow, but of course it was dark and above freezing when I got home from work.  Today will be more rain and lots of it.  Then followed by more snow.  Waiting.  Waiting.  I will take care of my own yard all by myself, but I can't help but think that this company that I made fun of last summer is going to be mighty busy this spring.

Happy poop scooping to all my northern friends and neighbors!