After the storm...a glorious day!

Having weathered the recent snow storm and feeling a bit closed-in by several days of snow, I determined to get outdoors and play today. The storm had left small limbs scattered about the yard so I went out to pick them up and pack them into boxes for starting fires. I was enjoying the beautiful sunshine and temps in the 60s. It was wonderful to go out and play without donning half of my wardrobe!
It was wonderful to be able to open the doors and windows and let the fresh air flow through the house---but I needed to get out there and feel the earth under my feet, soggy though it was.
On the south side of the yard I was ever so surprised to find the first harbingers of Spring in our area already blooming!

These are the first of a mass of daffs that will bloom beside the road and all around my yard. My grandmother, mother and aunts planted literally hundreds of them. Dug them up from their "homeplace" on the Tennessee River when TVA forced them to leave the ancestral home, transported them and planted them in their "new" home. The descendants of those bulbs are scattered all over the US as they've been shared through the years. I dug and gave away hundreds last year. And still they come.
When I wandered over to the north side of the yard, I found the very last remnant of the storm (and hopefully of winter, although I know that's being way optimistic.) About three feet across, sheltered by a cedar tree, this last stubborn patch remained.

Just seeing those daffs lifted my spirits and reminded me that no matter how cold and bleak one week may seem, the next week can be as beautiful and uplifting as we allow it to be. Even though I had just returned from a funeral, saying goodbye to a fine man, the promise that life springs anew was healing. Just a few bedraggled pieces of yellow and green plant matter---that my Mammy planted. She is still making me smile even though she's been gone over 40 years.
Do you have pics of the signs that Spring is coming? Has your snow melted?
I wish for you all such glorious days ahead.

a reply to: diggindirt
I opened the door yesterday and wind hit me in the face, a warm, Spring wind. It is 41 F right now, positively balmy for where I live. It will be about 53 most of the week. It has been a really mild winter. No flowers growing yet, but still very nice out!

I have daffodils poking up too. Last weekend, snow and yesterday got out and washed the car it was upper 60's or mid 20's French er Celsius. Lol

a reply to: diggindirt

Nice, OP!

Here in Upstate NY, we haven't had any major snowstorms yet this year.

A few minor accumulations but hardly anything at all... which is surprising, especially after last year, because we had a brutal winter.

Usually every winter we get nailed at some point, but I'm beginning to wonder if we're going to make it through this cold season without getting hit.

I feel like I might be jinxing it - so let me stop. Lol.

But I'm glad to hear you made it through!
___

One more thing... I'm not sure exactly where you are located - but keep an eye on the weather.

The SPC is forecasting some severe weather, with an enhanced risk in that general vicinity - sometime around Tuesday.

LINK: SPC CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK (DAY 3)

Just a heads up^ - so be sure to keep that in mind.

All the Best.

a reply to: diggindirt
Nice! Just hope it stays warm so they don't get killed off.

a reply to: iunlimited491
Thanks for the heads-up, I hadn't seen that particular forecast. At present we have only a slight drizzle as a thin band of showers are moving through and still in the low 60s. It seems to be going north of us. At least we can hope.
I'm in far western Kentucky, in that little patch where the southern state line suddenly dips down into Tennessee, (commonly known as the Jackson Purchase) near Kentucky Lake. We get the river valley weather effects from both the Mississippi and the Tennessee valleys.
As of today my long-haired cat is shedding like crazy....while that may not be a sign...I tend to think it is if past seasons were an indication. He doesn't usually begin his shedding until March. I also found a big gob of deer hair on one of their favorite scraping places today. Here's hoping for an early Spring!

a reply to: Skid Mark
Ha! No chance of that. They are persistent little plants. I've seen them buried in snow after blooming. The snow melts, and they stand back up, a bit the worse for wear sometimes, but still strong after all these years.
Here is what they looked like last year on March 22 after being literally buried in snow on March 5.

Here is a shot of the snow that came on March 4 last year. The circled area is the top of the bunnie's ears.

And the same shot just a couple of weeks later showing bunny and the blooms that sprang forth.

a reply to: diggindirt

Looks exactly like spring at home lovely