Our neighbors Carolyn and Todd are moving today. They are not moving far but still it is going to be a major change to realize that they are no longer right next door. We have only been neighbors for about two years now but still in this transient society where often you do not know your neighbors at all to have ones that you become friends with easily is a gift to treasure.
Carolyn with some of her junior helpers
Jim volunteered to help them to pack up and move their stuff to their new home. They had promises from family members also so it seemed that things would go smoothly and everything would be moved in record time. After about an hour of Jim being the only helper it was beginning to look like it would be a bit of a longer process than first planned for. Fortunately the rest of the moving crew arrived and things began to move quite a bit faster. Todd and Carolyn's three children and the children brought along by other helpers all dived in and worked hard along with the adults.
One thing at a time
How to wrestle a sofa!
I couldn't help much with the actual lifting and moving although I did cheer from the sidelines and took pictures of some of the more memorable moments such as squeezing a very large sofa out of a not so large door! I also took the opportunity to take the dogs for a walk and check out the progress that spring has been making since my last photo journey. I took pictures of our other neighbor, four mile creek as well as many of the trees that now have new leaves instead of just the buds that were there last week. We do not have the full leaf effect of the summer but at least we are losing the dull browns and greys of the winter months.
The leaves are coming, the leaves are coming!Forsythia in bloom, a sure sign of spring
A small waterfall on four mile creek
After a long afternoon in the sun I finally came back inside and discovered that it was almost time for the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. I try to watch the Triple Crown every year, pick a favorite and cheer them on. I came inside so late that I turned on the television about ten minutes before the start of the race. I really had no idea who was running this year, I had done no research and I was astonished to hear that 19 dogs were running in this years race, one horse had scratched. That is a large field and that can make a race interesting. The horses came out of the paddock and were loaded in the chutes and all that anticipation that has been building explodes when the gates open and out the horses rush. It only seems like seconds later and the race is over. This year was quite a suprise when a 50:1 longshot called Mine that Bird (who names these horses anyway) squeezed up the rail and blasted into the history books as the second largest longshot to win the Kentucky Derby. Congratulations to the owners, trainers and jockey. Best of luck in the upcoming Preakness! Will we have a Triple Crown winner this year?
That is all I have to say for now. Good luck to Carolyn and Todd in their new home, we will visit you often. I will post again to let you know what suprise is moving in next door over the next few days.
Spring is advancing so fast that it seems to be passing at super sonic speed so that if we are not careful we will miss it. For whatever reason this year I have been determined to slow down and take a good look at the changes the spring weather brings and to enjoy them during the brief period that they are with us. Soon summer will be here and with it will come it's own unique changes to our world. I will enjoy taking a good look at them also. 
