We have been covered in snow more or less pretty much since New Year's--highly unusual for us in grand central Ohio--but we did have the few warm days where it melted before this latest cover. In fact, I can count on one hand the days that I've seen bright sunshine -- today was one. It is having its effect on me.

I don't expect to see anything in my yard until the yellow dogwood--that is usually the earliest. I don't have any of the very early bloomers like snowdrops or aconite. My daffs in front are usually a week or two ahead of the neighbors, though, due to the full south exposure in front of a stone wall.

I usually take hope from the geraniums that I've overwintered in my family room --they usually start putting on new blossoms in February.

I remember the winter of 1998 was so mild that my roses were leafing out in mid February. Gasoline was $1/gallon that month, too!

DiggerB, I've gotten caught up on the online genealogy search also this winter. I've been amazed at how much time I can spend (waste?) on it...

well winter is back again here in the frozen north.
Raee you should put in some snow drops-- i always love coming outside after 3 or 4 days of 40 degree weather to find them there ready to pop open. and know that they will still be there when the snow melts again.

i've noticed that there aren't too many of us on the web this season-- other interests draw us or are there better sites that people hev migrated to?

i've been doing on-line genealogy too-- thats a good way to use up lots of time---- if you have lots of time to use up. i stick to doing my work in 2 hour bursts at the public library-- since they also offer free access to ancestry.com

diggerb

Ice and snow

Snow again today. I could be more self disciplined, but it does make it hard to want to exercise in this weather.

I don't know about any other sites that are free; I just don't have too much to say, I guess! I am trying to make a list of plants that I want to move etc when it warms up. I tend to buy things and stick them in a bed, later realizing that the neighboring shrub is too tall or casting too much shade or everything is too close together or some such.
I've got a climbing rose that I want to move for that reason (DreamWeaver). Also need to finish killing the 3 trumpet vines that I so foolishly planted (I know that will take me a few years, it has already been 2 since I cut the first one down) and also relocate a honeysuckle that is on the corner of the garage to the back gate-and decide what to put in its place. I also have 3 'Scarlet Spreader" roses that I am thinking of removing from the middle of one bed--I've just not been impressed with them--but don't know what to put in their place. That might be a good spot for a dwarf plum or cherry.

Ancestry.com is what I've been using too, DiggerB. I am lucky that I come from a family (on one side) with lots of descendents who have already done a lot of work and posted it. The other side has been a real challenge and I suspect that if I want to carry it forward I will have to make a field trip up to Cleveland, or maybe Akron, to check out archives in the libraries there. Cleveland has some things accessible online only to card-holders.

crocus are blooming!!!!!:)
diggerb

You are ahead of us, Diggerb, mine are just poking up out of the ground. But my honeysuckle vine is leafing out and the yellow dogwood is about to pop into bloom.

The last of the snow is finally gone. I found my trash can lid for the first time in 7 weeks on Monday.

The grass looks terrible!! I guess this is snow mold?

Now I just have to hope things dry out rather quickly so I can get the clean-up and transplanting done before everything is too far along.

i got little dutch iris blooming today :)
diggerbb

Took a walk around the yard today; I've got crocus, daffs, pink chionodoxa (glory of the snow), some snowdrops that I am sure I did not plant, even pulmonaria blooming now! Hyacinths are pushing up. Everything is leafing out, including the roses; I wanted to move a couple of those before they broke dormancy, but it was too wet.

I've got sooo much cleaning up to do, stuff that I left last fall when it got cold so suddenly.

I have new neighbors who were working out in their yard today. Perhaps they didn't know what it was, and I didn't see before it was too late--he cut down a massive and beautiful autumn clematis that grew on the fence between our properties. I am sad, that was so beautifully fragrant (and just beautiful) in full bloom.