What's new and different?

 - Two trees in our yard, a fruit-free cherry tree and a volunteer dogwood, both looked unhealthy last year.  I suspected either lanternflies or something in the mulch that was applied around them.  Since we'd already spent four figures on cutting down and disposing of a dead weeping cherry in the front yard and a dying red maple out back, we just didn't want to spend any more.  

The mild, nearly snowless winter might have given the two trees a little more time.  A few leaves are showing on the cherry tree, although a good many branches are dry and brittle.  The dogwood, being smaller, was easier to play tree surgeon on, and one afternoon I lopped off all the dead branches I could see.  What's left is spindly and widely-spaced, but it is undoubtedly alive, with green leaves popping out on every branch.  

 - On a walk around the development, I saw speedwell in varying amounts in nearly every yard on our side of the street.  In addition to that wildflower, one of our next-door neighbors has an impressive patch of wood violets appearing now.  The neighbor on the other side uses a lawn service, although a few dandelions are showing anyway.  And here at home, there are large spaces with tiny blue speedwell flowers in the front and back yards, along with increasing patches of wood violets in purple and white.  Then on the sunny south side of the house and just to the right of the front door, red deadnettle is covering dinner-plate sized areas.  It just makes me glad we don't have a homeowners association that enforces rules requiring lawns to be free from anything except grass.

 - And finally, on the bunny front:  I hadn't seen a rabbit in weeks, maybe even months, before yesterday when an adult cottontail showed itself in the yard across the street from us.  Then today, as PG and I walked around one curve in the development, a spooked rabbit jumped high and headed for cover.  

 - There are two piles of yard waste in the yard, cuttings and loppings of dead wood and bushes.  In addition, there are the remains of one full-grown flower bush, approximately three feet across,.  I planted it while PG was in the hospital in 2019, and it survived until past winter. I chopped that out Saturday morning.  Our yard -- good for wildflowers, less so for trees and bushes.