Monday, January 31, 2011

Spring-like Stirrings

Though I know full well that winter's a long way from over, Saturday and Sunday were a lovely respite.  I spent a little time pruning, scratching around in the dirt, removing some early weeds and admiring the pansies which are trying to stand up after being buried in the snow.
 
Eddie helped.
Beneath the dead leaves of the Siberian Iris, daffodils are pushing toward the light.
 I trimmed the dead foliage so it wouldn't form a mat, but scattered it back over those impatient shoots, hoping to slow them so they don't get nipped by the next snow.
 Both cats enjoyed the sun . . .


And when the sun dropped behind the ridge and I returned to the house, it felt as if my veins were full of champagne rather than blood.

How glorious to get a foretaste of Spring!
 

26 comments:

R. Burnett Baker said...

Vicki, Vicki, Vicki. If only. We're so cold. We have so much snow on the ground. I'm so weary of winter. (I'm a fair weather child!!)

You're stirring excitement in me that spring may, indeed, be hiding around some corner! If the earth in your neighborhood is cracking open with life, then hope springs eternal for the rest of us!!

Rick

Unknown said...

Isn't nature so amazing..to see that little pansy pushing through. Such seasonal change you have, when the earth has been covered with snow.

Martin said...

Veins full of champagne, is a neat description.

Miss_Yves said...

Funny conclusion!
I fear Eddy isn't an efficacius gardener...Cats prefer "farniente"!

Miss_Yves said...

efficacious

Pat in east TN said...

It was the same over here and I took in every minute that I could, knowing only too well that winter will strike again.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Cats enjoying sunshine and a taste of spring. What a lovely weekend you've enjoyed Vicki.
Sam

Alan Burnett said...

You give me hope that Spring might be working its way towards me, latitude line by latitude line.

June said...

How wonderful to know that spring is alive and well. Even if it far to the south.

KarenB said...

Hmmm, as I'm looking out over the sun rising reluctantly over the two feet of snow blanketing the ground and the thermometer is reading 14, spring seems very far away. I bought some sunny yellow tulips at the store just to remind me that it will come someday! And along that line, today's word verification for me is a misspelling of the word "patience." !!

Stella Jones said...

Oh! same here Vicki. I couldn't wait to get back from church and into the garden here. We had a lot of pruning to do. The rosemary bushes have suffered badly and I don't know if they'll come back again, but we pruned them and will hope for the best. The sun was warm on our backs and life felt so good.
Champagne indeed.
Your cats look happy as did mine!

Christine said...

Isn't it grand to find some signs of spring and some warm sunshine!

BB said...

That's how we felt yesterday. Almost 60 degrees and sunny so we hit the beach to take it in. Love the cats.

Kaye Wilkinson Barley - Meanderings and Muses said...

We've experienced a couple of gorgeous days here - 60 degrees and sunny skies. But still have ice and snow everywhere - I need to follow your lead and dig down to see what green spring I can find down there!

Darla said...

What a perky little pansy! Thank you for sharing her. :-) As I look outside and see two feet of snow, it's always nice to realize that *somewhere* flowers are growing naturally.

Louise said...

I'm going to enjoy watching Spring move North on the blogs that I follow. Though I love Winter, this has been a tough one. Seeing that brave little daffodil poke its head out of the earth was a marvelous pick me up.

Brian Miller said...

oh it was gorgeous here too...right at 60 degrees...ah i just wanted to be outside all day....lovely pics...spring is coming...

jennyfreckles said...

Even though the seasonal cycle happens year on year, it still seems like a miracle to me that green shoots start determindedly pushing upwards even under the snow.

Deanna said...

Aren't pansies amazing? We are hunkered down, bracing ourselves for another storm. Our birdie friends are doing a great job of keeping us entertained.

Glad you had a chance to get outside and breathe the fresh air this weekend.

Suz said...

veins full of champagne..awesome description
and I am so jealous of your pansies
But like Rick...you do hold out hope that just below winter is spring
don't cats have it figured out

Tipper said...

It was a good tease of spring wasn't it : )

Kath said...

The icy rain is here today. So to wake up to the glory you caught yesterday... what a treat!
Thank you.
Kath

Friko said...

We've gained a whole hour of daylight already! Not dark till five now round here.

every day I go and search for shoots. I think they see me coming and draw themselves back into the ground.

Vicki Lane said...

Well, as fortune would have it, today is cloudy, gray, and a good bit cooler. With snow predicted by the weekend. But refreshed by the memory of a spring-like weekend, I can deal with it. That, and the fact that I'm heading south to Alabama on Thursday...

Eddie and Miss Susie Hutchins are strict followers of the dolce far niente school, Miss Yves.

Victoria said...

Oh, what lovely pictures! The pansys are blooming at my sister's house down in Redlands, but I won't see any in my garden for ... well, the weather's so nuts, I really don't know! We did get a bit of snow yesterday and it will probably be on the ground for a while. They're predicting cold, dry weather for the next five days with winds of up to 75 MPH.

And, of course, my favorite photos are of Eddie and Miss Susie Hutchins enjoying the sun!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

A tiny touch of spring invigorates the soul! Here it is just cold and dreary rain...even snow would be a welcome change. Bah!