Signs of Spring in Minnesota

[GrannyNanny]

I just got a series of photos from a friend in Germany of flowers that are now blooming in her garden.The garden itself, seen all at once, is still a pretty soggy mess, but then there are the patches of crocus, the snowdrops, the thrusting fern fronds, etc. That got me to thinking about what we're looking for here in Minnesota at the end of the first ten days of March, 2014. Not, alas, for spring flowers, since although the snowbanks are shrinking there is still a good two feet of snow on the ground. What we look for, and make comments on, are patches of iceless pavement in the streets. "Oh look, there's another patch of asphalt -- woo-hoo!!!" Now I ask you, how pitiful is THAT????
On the brighter side, I have seeds sprouting under the lights in my basement. It has been such a joy to go down there and potter in the dirt -- a joy that a non-gardener would never, ever understand. You do, however, which is why I'm saying all this in the first place. Roll on, Spring!!! Phyllis

[jgh]

Love to hear tales of survival on the tundra... King Boreas cheated yet again!

Our daughter came home last Thursday to a frozen water feed... somewhere in the ground between the hydrant and the house... so it is living without water until nature thaws out the very deep frost, or pay the city-authorized bandits $500 to hook up generator cables and heat the pipe a little for an hour or so...

We timed our return to just have enough time to do taxes before the deadline - sounds like this year we should have gone for June instead!

Meanwhile... mononotous weather plagues us. Mostly sunny, 85 degrees, light tropical breezes... day after day... so boring... makes us look forward to the occasional light shower...

[Carol O]

When we lived in Grand Forks, ND the first day of spring, "Oh look, it's spring! There are 20 cars lined up to go through the car wash!" and "Oh look, it's spring, the mountains of snow in the parking lots are steaming!" I wasn't gardening then so those were the glorious sights.

[thy]

Not for sore eyes.....

I have had a primula blooming all winter, erantis are nearly gone and so are the first snowdrops and crocus, but other crocus and iris reticula are blooming
Snow level... 2 " for 5 days
Now, down to the freezing point at night, but 10 to 15 C and sunny in the daytime

Way to many plants are showing sprouts, in my DD's protected city lot even the lilies are beginning to sprout

So nice and so hard to enjoy, fearing a cold drop