Spring is here!!

I know.. the calendar still says it's winter.  It might even be snowing where you are.  It snowed here today again.  Still, I know it's spring.  I've seen the signs.

Here's a sign.. Garden catalogs!  You've got to know Spring is coming when you get these in the mail!

The ice is melting on waterways...

But, here is the real reason, I know it's Spring!

Yep.. I shaved my first Golden Retriever this week.

(NO.. he's not finished!)

I know.. nobody likes seeing this.. me included.  Yet, it's a solid sign of spring around here. Soon, the even worse sign of spring will be showing up.  Dogs that have waited a full year to get their haircut.  Yuck.  With this early spring, maybe they will only wait 9 months. Time will tell.

It's been a strange, and wonderful winter here.  We have had very little snow, and warm temps all winter.  My December and January were slow as is the norm, truthfully, the weeks leading up to Christmas were a bit disappointing.  In  mid-February when the real warm stuff came we got very busy.  The temps reached 35-50 degree, that's balmy for my area.  What snow was there, turned into a sloppy wet mess on the still-frozen ground.  Nobody likes muddy wet dogs.  The clients have been streaming in, most telling us "give him the spring cut"!  Of course we still have the occasional non-believer who says "leave him long, it's still winter!"  What do they know? 

It's spring, alright.  Yesterday, I groomed so many dogs, I felt as tired afterwards as I did the week before Christmas!  I'm loving it!  It's so nice to have an early spring for once.   Of course living where I do, we could get 2 feet of snow in April, and the phones will stop ringing for a short time.   I'm going to enjoy having a decent paycheck while I can!