Winter 2019 - Steadfast and resolute

Steadfast and resolute. This is the phrase that came into my head when I went looking for the first little flower shoots in my garden a few days ago. I knew better than to hope I would see something green there, it was mid-January after all, and a brisk 14 degrees F when I woke up that morning. I knelt down amongst the blanket of leaf litter and poked around a bit. Sure enough, there was a two-inch chartreuse leaf standing standing up in that jumble of organic matter. I gave an amused “huh!” would have patted it on the shoulder if it had one.

This is one of the many joys of gardening. You go out into a blustery gray day not expecting much, and leave charmed and reassured that spring is, indeed, coming soon.