While the temperatures have remaining above freezing and the snow has been melting along nicely, the progress toward bare ground has been, well, glacial. Places which have been plowed, shoveled or sanded are happily down to earth-toned surfaces. But in my area, there is at least another 6-8" of snowmelt which must occur before life underneath it gets full benefit of sunlight again, more where its been heaped up to clear roads and pathways.
A few weeks back, I shoveled out the area where my crocuses are and they appreciated the effort. The leaves are up about an 2" since I cleared snow away enough for the sun to do the rest. I probably won't see the flowers for another 1-2 weeks, but it's still earlier than it would have been previously, since that's where I tossed snow to dig out my car and driveway.
But it was not enough. I have snowdrops in my yard which were still covered by snow and I wanted them to have the same opportunity that the crocuses did. Hard to landmark things when it's all uniformly white and I couldn't quite remember where they were, anyway. So, I cleared a circle 15 feet in diameter in the area that I vaguely remember them being in last year. As with the crocus patch, I cleared to the point where the sun and warm air could finish the job easily.
Today, there is a patch of brown and green where I shoveled, some of the green being snowdrop leaves, so mission accomplished. The snow was crusty and heavy and my muscles and joints didn't and still don't appreciate this job that wasn't actually necessary.
But, my psyche does. I'm looking forward to flowers in bloom, likely right around the first day of spring, in both spots as a result of my efforts. It would have been only somewhat longer had I allowed natural melting to occur. But, I needed some things that don't remind me of this dreary winter season. The extra ibuprofen required was worth it.
Only 8 more days until spring.
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