It’s still dreary season out there. This time of year, I have to look for color in nature. Daylight is stretching out a little longer, and since a January thaw allowed me to ramble a little in the yard and do some cleanup, I’m ready for spring to come. There’s still a lot of brown and dun, grey and dirty white in the world, because winter still has an icy grip, even if loosely held for now. Snow is in the forecast for next week again.
The sun is warmer, too, and the longer daylight hours have allowed Charlie and I to get out and get some exercise. We like to follow the many different paths in an open space area above one of our retail complexes. The winter folks are usually the dog walkers and the fat tire bikers, since the area still has a lot of snow. I keep an eye on Charlie, because I worry about coyotes and mountain lions in the brush. He loves to be “look-out” and then when I call, he’ll come rushing back down the trail and slide to a stop in the snow, throwing up a plume of it. He’s what we used to call a ‘hot dog’ in the old skiing days. Show off!
I am starting to see a happier demeanor amongst the sunroom plants. I have several sun-loving succulents and they start looking plumper this time of year. I’ve gotten an interesting cactus from a friend which grows somewhat like a Christmas cactus but is definitely not. It bloomed for me last spring, so maybe it will bloom again this year.
The sunroom geraniums also start to bloom around this time of year.
I am sure I’ll still have to drive through a few more snowstorms, but the end is near! February is a short month and will soon be melting into March.