The daffodils look so happy. March 13, 2016
Our home is on the edge of the piedmont in the foothills of North Carolina. This weekend it got up to 75 degrees fahrenheit. Our average last frost is still a month away.
Forsythia in bloom. March 13, 2016
Because so many of the plants in our yard have broken dormancy it would be easy to assume that the days of frost and hard freezes are behind us.
The leaves of the Hydrangea border on the north wall of house are beginning to open. March 13, 2016
The buds on the trees have begun to swell. And the weeds I associate with spring (henbit and chickweed) are making their presence known.
Rose. March 13, 2016
The warmth has caused an awakening. Not just in the plants I expect to see grow and flower this time of year but also in those that will be harmed should we have another hard freeze.
Breaking dormancy; Oakleaf Hydrangea. March 13, 2016
While I enjoy having our windows open, and being able to smell the sweet scent of the hyacinth, I worry. None of this feels right. It’s too early. It nags at me. I wonder how this will affect the plums and strawberries that are now in full bloom. Despite my unease I can’t help but feel some joy. The warmth of the sun on my skin and the ever increasing hours of daylight lighten my mood. They comfort me. Like the plants that surround me I too am awaking from the long days of winter. I only hope it isn’t too soon.
“The earth has music for those who listen.”
― George Santayana
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
marias treasures 
A beautiful, poignant reflection about the too-early arrival of spring, Maria. It is healing after what feels like never-ending winter, but it does pose risks for the survival of beloved plants, tended with care over the years. (I have a pile of old bed sheets I’ve used to cover gardens in the past. It does help protect plants from frost, but not always from freezing.)
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Carol, Thanks for your kind words. This post was actually inspired by yours on discipline. It is so easy this time of year to forget that, more likely than not, the cold will return.
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Very pretty ma’am, nature at a simple yet beautiful stage in life.
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