Signs of Spring

Spring may be arriving on Wednesday,

but yesterday's weather here in the Shire was all Winter with a capital W.

I went outside with my five pekes a couple of times,
and it was too cold for me.

But I was encouraged to see signs of spring 

struggling through the veil of winter.

photo courtesy of morguefile.com

It's not snowing this morning, but the sky is dark, the rain is coming down.
Even the squirrels don't want to come out of their nests.

So Sunday's chill foretold Monday's gloom.
It is still very winter-y here and spring seems slow to arrive.

But it will get here.

Fortunately, there are daffodils with heads gently bent to cheer us.

photo courtesy of morguefile.com

And there are other signs of spring here and there.

The first thing I noticed yesterday was the blue hydrangea seedling

I had intended to plant last fall but didn't get around to.

It has two green leaves just beginning to emerge.

That made me happy because I wasn't sure it would come back 

after my neglect and winter's chill.

photo courtesy of morguefile.com

And next to the hydrangea, the violets that were so early in January,

but then disappeared, are emerging again as tiny green shoots.

Maybe this spring I will have enough violet blossoms to make a tiny nosegay.

And my potted oregano plant somehow managed to keep itself alive

through the long dark days of winter.

In fact, it looks quite lush.

Oregano from summer 2012

And my beloved sweet bay magnolia tree

is showing tender pale green leaves at the ends of its branches.

They are not yet as full as the 2012 photo below,
but a few days of sun and warmth should do it.

spring 2012

With this lengthy winter and reluctant spring,

I take comfort in this quote by Shelley 

from his "Ode to the West Wind":

If winter comes, can spring be far behind?

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