Countdown to Spring – This is More Like It

After a week of staring at the walls and ceiling of my apartment and feeling like a barking seal with an energy crisis living at the equator (translation – coughing, fatigue and fever), I am finally past it and am looking forward to the next few days or gorgeous and, may I add, warm weather.  Warm, as in 60s, possibly even 70.  Yeah, I know, I know, it’s too early, it’s not going to last.  Whatever.  It beats -7°F, doesn’t it?

Our little clipper storm Saturday into Sunday which was supposed to bring 1-3” of snow brought us about 4” locally.  It wasn’t supposed to start until 9 PM, but by 7 PM when I looked out, we already had an inch of snow on the ground, dashing my hopes of a dusting that I could easily sweep away.  Sunday morning, out came the shovel and in about three trips, I had cleared my deck and walkway and then my parking space out to the road.  I didn’t do a great job because it was already sunny and above freezing.  Let solar heating be your friend.  It was, too.  By the end of the day, all shoveled areas were down to bare ground.

It’s been in the 40s during the day the last few days and most of the snow is gone.  Yesterday, it was in the 60s.  It hadn’t melted all the way yet, but it was an 9:1 mix of bare ground to snow instead of 50:50.  By the end of today, well, I won’t even care if it’s not gone.  I’m just going to enjoy those warm southwest breezes.

I did manage a little walking at the end of flu/flu-like things.  Looking up at trees, I am seeing more and more buds at the tips of all the branches.  The pussy willow I walk by to go to the post office is really starting to come to life, with catkins (really, that's what they're called) now starting to peek out from just about every branch.  I have a running permission from the owner to clip a few branches every year.  That'll be coming up soon.

On a sad note, a critter – likely a squirrel – squeezed through the holes of the milk-crate type container that I had protecting my planter with crocuses in it, moved the leaf mulch and had a late winter snack of crocus root and sprout salad on at least half of them.  I suspect squirrel because of the debris pattern they left outside the container and yet still left the container in place.  Ladies and Gentlemen, a round of applause for Houdini the Squirrel!

Only 27 days until Spring.