A Mild Spring Means Early Flowers

It has been unseasonably warm here in northern Idaho. For the last two winters we had experienced extreme amounts of snow that shut the main highway down repeatedly. The rolling hills of the Palouse looked like piles of marshmallow fluff for a couple months and snow fell often enough to keep you in that wintery mood. But this year we haven't seen any snow that stuck to the ground in about 2 months. It is unseasonably warm and muddy. The sun has been shining which of course i like very much but I have been missing the clean white snow. No sledding. No hot cocoa while watching big fat flakes fall from the sky. No snowwomen to build. No snow angels to make.

Because of this oddly mild weather our bulbs have been sprouting and growing like made. we already have two different flowers blooming in the yard. Yesterday i saw a small swarm of bees all over our flowers and heard them among the willow trees. I wonder if we have a hive on the property. The willow trees are quite old and some have broken limbs and hollow spots that would be perfect for a hive. I'll keep you posted.

I am anticipating all the blooming bulbs as we were told when we bought the house that the matriarch of the family had planted thousands of them in the yard. Every day I am grateful for her dedication and work to make a beautiful yard for us to experience. I hope to be able to maintain her landscaping and add to its glory over time. This year will be for exploration of what has been planted and next year I may do some additions.