It’s a good thing we didn’t plan to eat outside on the deck tonight. Can you believe this???

The wind is blowing, it’s 17 degrees F and more snow is expected throughout the day. Yes, winter still rules.

More photos to come later after I am brave enough to venture outside well bundled up!

P.S. Just a note on the photo in my last post. I did have one person ask just what the tree was reflected in. It was my wine glass filled with white wine, of course! Purely a happy accident that the glass, which was sitting on the stand next to the couch, happened to capture the tree’s reflection.

Even though we’d had a few nice days over the past week, it’s obvious it’s still winter. Over the past few days we’ve been below the freezing mark again and nights have dipped down to the teens. A cold, blustery wind has been blowing, dropping the “real feel” temperatures by ten or more degrees. Yep, still winter.

My spring bulbs are still waiting to break ground. Tree buds are still tightly closed and hard.

The bear who has picked him or herself a prime hibernation spot is still fast asleep in my neighbor’s tool storage trailer. They fondly refer to it as their security guard.

All signs that say winter still has its icy grip on New Jersey.

I am longing to throw open the windows and hear birdsong. Have the spring breeze bring the smell of wakening earth into the house. Go outside without a coat. Wear sandals and sling-back shoes again. Roll back the pool cover and gaze into its blue depths. Alas, those things are not possible. Not quite yet.

But, wait. Something is happening. Look what I found this morning in the boggy part of the woods in our yard.

The skunk cabbage seems to think spring is not far away after all!

It was a scene worth photographing this morning as the sun broke through the trees, casting long shadows. There was a little early morning fog and the trees glistened with the moisture they received during the night. I love shadows in the morning.

As it turns out, the bright morning sun made for some perfect kitty shadows as well. eBay loves it when the shadows come out to play. She’ll sit and wait for someone to walk by, hoping that someone will play shadows with her. Who could resist?

She knows it’s just my hand, but pretends she doesn’t know, if you get my drift.

There always comes a point in the game where she decides to let me know that she knows exactly what is going on here.

C’mon mom, I know it’s you!

Yesterday there were six robins in my front yard pecking the newly exposed ground. What a welcome sight they were! Robins in Colorado were no big deal since they wintered there, but here in New Jersey they find a warmer climate to spend the colder months. You know spring is on the way when the robins return.

Remember that old song?

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along, along
There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts throbbin’ his old sweet song
Wake up, wake up you sleepy head
Get up, get out of your bed
Cheer up, cheer up the sun is red
Live, love, laugh and be happy

What a difference a day makes! Our temperature shot up to 51 degrees F yesterday and everything was melting. Instead of using the snow shovel to actually shovel snow I was using it for scooping water out of the miniature pond that formed at the base of our front steps. Patches of ground have begun to appear here and there in the yard and I could finally scrape the last of the snow from our deck. I know it sounds silly, but I find it feels very liberating.

We haven’t been able to put Johnny away because we couldn’t get the fence open due to frozen solid snow, but finally yesterday we got him stowed away out of the elements again. Now he can have a bit of a vacation since warm temperatures are forecast for a week or more and any kind of precipitation should be in the form or rain.

If this keeps up the snow will soon be gone. I know we’ll get more, but at least this snow that’s been hanging around for over a month will get replaced with fresh, pretty, new stuff.

Here’s to days above the freezing mark!