Fifty second thing: Living my entire life in Michigan has assured that I’ve always experienced the change of seasons. My favorites are Spring and Fall as they provide the most dramatic and profound shifts each year.  As we are enjoying Spring in Michigan right now, I had to feature it as one of the “59 Things” that make me happy.

In recent weeks, we’ve enjoyed temps near 80 and serious lows, including a freeze warning last night. We’ve had cool spring rains (and hail) at night, providing moisture for green grass and flowers.

My community has numerous flowering crab and cherry trees, “tulip trees” and rhododendron blooming now, while other trees are bursting forth with leaves overnight.  It’s thrilling to see everything come back to life after looking gray, dead and dreary for months.

Anxious to garden, I’ve purchased large pots of pansies for my front porch and deck.  I cleaned out numerous flower beds, then mulched (31 bags of pine bark mini-nuggets).  Tulips, daffodils, lily of the valley, peonies, poppies and hostas are all emerging so quickly that if you sit still and watch, you’ll see them growing.

Today I purchased jalapeno, green bell pepper, sweet red and yellow pepper plants.  For my herb garden, I purchased: rosemary, cilantro, lemon thyme, flat leaf parsley, sweet basil, French cooking thyme and bush basil (aka Greek Basil).  For now, they’ll remain in my sunny kitchen window…..soon to join a recently planted rosemary plant and the returning perrenial chives, garlic chives and chocolate mint in my herb bed.  I didn’t find sage today at the nursery but I’ll do so in the coming weeks.

Everything is coming back to life.  With mild longer days and the promise of Michigan’s beauty returning after the winter, Spring once again, makes me grateful and very happy.

For more of the “59 Candles, 59 Things” series click on categories, then “59 Things”. I started this series nearly a year ago on my 59th birthday to share 59 things that make me happy, we’re now approaching the final stretch.  What makes you happy?