Spring in MN ... and the economy

Happy Mother's Day.

After enjoying the taste of spring in the South, spring is firmly ensconced here in the Frozen Northland. Some years we don't have spring; there's this day that starts with a temperature near freezing and ends with a high above 90 and that's spring. But this year we're actually having a season of it.

You know it's spring in Minnesota when . . .

• The frogs on the pond start to sing. Last week they went from silent to full volume in one night. I wonder what it is that triggers that transition. They all seem to wake up on the same day.
  
• The annual spring trip to the greenhouse. You know it's spring when you make that long awaited trip to buy all the plants that go in after the last frost. I hope I'm not being optimistic; the low last night was 39℉ but let's hope that we beat the odds and there's no more frost.
  
• Garden work. Even though it may be a bit early, but I've planted my tomatoes and peppers. Peas went in a couple of weeks ago, and I planted sweet corn on that day also. I was apprehensive about the corn but I lucked out, as it's already up and looking good.
  
• Farmers in the fields. Many of the cornfields are not only planted but have corn up high enough that you can easily see the rows. So far, so good, in terms of crop weather. Now if we make it through the other 95% of the process . . .
  
• Trees leafing. Our oaks are still mostly bare, with only tiny leaflets. Many of the other trees are completely leafed out.
  
• Perennials making an appearance. This is the first full year for the landscaping that we did last year at the side of the house, and so far it's looking promising. The rhododendrons bloomed vigorously this first year, even though the bushes are small. They'll be striking when they grow a bit.
  
• Flowers. When we did the landscaping last year, I was allocated a small bed for annuals. It was fun to pick some at the greenhouse and plant them. I'm always torn between planting old favorites and trying something new; I try to do a bit of both but usually end up with plants I know.
  
• You have to change clothes at least once per day. In the morning it's too cold for a short-sleeve shirt; in the afternoon you roast in the long sleeved one. Then there's the need to have a grubby set of clothes for working in the garden and a decent set for presenting yourself in public. Or you can just garden in the good clothes and wish you hadn't.
  

On a completely different topic . . . Reuters has an item that has been picked up by several publications and online services. It's a consensus prediction from the economic prognosticators that indicates that we'll see growth in the GDP in the third quarter of this year. The crew at Northern Trust is still predicting a turnaround in fourth quarter. It's encouraging to see these predictions, and will be interesting to look back on them this time next year.