...the first day of Spring.

It may be the first day of spring but Mother Nature is apparently not quite finished with winter yet. As the weekend storm keeps dropping rain, wind, and a winter chill...I am inside doing some much needed spring cleaning in my office. While I plow through stacks of paper, try to get organized, and dream of the San Francisco Garden Show this coming weekend; I will leave you with some old and new images of raindrops in my garden.

...a peak of spring.

While working in the garden this first morning of Daylight Savings...I came across this little Lady in the stem of last summers Delphinium. She timidly poked her head out and, unlike Punxsutawney Phil, must have seen her shadow...for not long after I captured the moment, it started raining and I retreated back into the house to make a pot of winter soup. Yes...winter
is still with us, but on occasion treats us with a few wistful moments of spring.

...a prelude to spring.

What a beautiful day! The sun was shining, a few billowy white clouds graced the sky, and birds were singing a sigh of relief to have a much needed break from the rain. This is the best kind of day to be out in the garden. The air is sweet with the promise of spring and the ground, soft from days of rain, makes the usual chore of pulling weeds almost a pleasure! Once cleared away, long forgotten shoots of soon to be spring flowers, reached for the sun, thankful for the chance to breath. I took a break just long enough to take a look around the yard and capture a few glances of the season to come. The rain is returning this week and the garden gloves will have to return to bin they live in, but today was a wonderful prelude to what is blooming just around the corner.

...raindrops on roses.

Today is a rain day. A day to be at home, drink tea, be creative, stay in your PJ's and wistfully wish for spring. The sun peeks out every so often, but not enough to motivate me to get out into the rush of the weekend. I am trying to immerse myself in the concept of cleaning. The phrase "get organized" keeps popping up in some far off corner of my brain, but I continue to ignore it, and instead I'm traveling through past photos and waiting for the creative juices to flow.

I share with you these images of rain on petals, as a reminder of what glorious color is just around the corner as a result of a few simple rain days.

...natures cradle.

I stepped out the back door this morning to let Lexie out, coffee cup in hand, still blurry eyed from sleep, my main goal..not to trip up the stepping stones. As I looked down, something caught my eye...the tiniest little cluster of something gold. It looked like the seeds from my wildflower packets had spilled into a morning web...but seeds don't have tiny little legs!! It took me a split second to go back in the house for my camera! See for yourselves.
Guess I have a few new tenants in my back yard garden!
(click on the photos to enlarge)

...the first day of spring.

It's official, today is the first day of spring! It might not look like it through the clouds and fog, but there it is, ready to bust out of winter and begin it's glorious season. What better way to begin the equinox, than the Flower and Garden Show. I've taken the day off of work, have my camera packed, my note pad ready, my comfy tennis shoes on, and am off to be inspired. Can't wait to share what I find.
Until than, Happy first day of Spring.

...the signs of spring.

Remember those movies we saw in school, the ones in Botany class that were filmed in fast frame to show us how things grow. Well, right about now when I walk through my garden, I feel like I'm watching one of those movies. It's amazing how fast things grow this time of year. One day just the bud of a hydrangea, smaller than my pinkie nail, a few days later leaves an inch and a bit long. I few more months and the yard will be brimming with color and pageantry. What a show Mother Nature is, and it's free for all who want to watch...she doesn't even make us buy a ticket!