Ginkgo leaves and spring

       

Yesterday was wonderful.  We had some sunshine here and it helped my spirits immensely.  I decided to start the snowblower and see if I could clear any of the frozen snow out of our paths.  I had managed to keep them clear until our last round of snow and then it froze before I could get to it. 

It wasn't easy but I was able to blow some of it off and at least smooth out the paths to make it easier to walk on.

Miss Lady was an escape artist and managed to get out the door while we were taking out the Christmas Tree.  She had a really good time running around the yard and in the field.  She stayed within sight but didn't respond well to us calling her.  She still needs a lot of recall work.

Taking down the Christmas tree and putting away all of the Christmas decorations took a couple of hours but it's really nice to have all the furniture back where it belongs in the living room.  

My poinsettia really likes the humidifier and I see new leaves are growing.

The bay window is one of Lady's favorite spots where she can play guard dog and bark at anyone or anything she sees outside.  Yes, there's a squirrel out there. 

My friend Ellie Lizotte gave me a beautiful little tree made of ginkgo leaves in memory of our friend Ann.  The ginkgo tree and leaves hold a special place in our hearts because while Ann was recovering from her major surgery years ago, Linda Heisel picked ginkgo leaves off a tree at the Hope Market and sent them to Ann, who was at the Mayo Clinic.  

 

Linda felt that Ann needed something from Hope that she could touch.  

The leaves arrived on Ann's "transition day" from the hospital to a rehab center.  Ann ended up on the "ginkgo floor" where there were prints of ginkgo trees on the walls.  We saw that as a sign that she was going to return to Hope. 

This is the view from my porch.  As you can see, the maple tree still has lots of leaves on it. The path to the porch is packed with snow and our driveway has a lot of ice.  Every time I wish it was spring I remember that each day we get a smidgen more daylight.  By mid-January we will have about two minutes more per day.   I'll take it!  

By mid-February it will be three minutes more...and so on.

Yes, I am looking at my seed catalogs and actually thinking about starting some seeds under my gro-lights.  It's very comforting to sit and drink my morning coffee and browse through the catalogs. 

Cheers!