the winter of our content......

 like most of the country, we have had some pretty mild weather lately.  and when i say mild, i mean hot!!  it was 84 degrees here today and right this minute, at 10:39 pm, it is 70 degrees outside.  seventy degrees....seven-zero!  

tomorrow's expected temperature is 90 degrees.  ninety degrees.....nine-zero!  

tomorrow is march 21st.  not july 21st, march...

i am not complaining.  

no one is around here.  

normal highs for this time of year range from 26 to 45 degrees.  the temperature on this date last year was 36 degrees.  

the total snowfall for our area last year was 75 inches.  the snowfall this year so far???  33 inches.  

we have had temps 65 and above for close to two weeks now.  and with all of the 

whining and moaning that i did last year while waiting for spring, 

and more whining and moaning,

 this weather is heaven!!!

 we have tulips coming up in the yard,

and the rose canes are leafing out....

 the red maple trees, just look at them.

 my curly willow is green with new growth

it's green!!! 

everything has a tinge of green.

 and my lilacs are budding.

 the russian sage is sprouting and the spiders have added their silver strands to the design.

 the willow trees by the pond are leafing as well.

 we have never seen such growth on the butterfly bush as there is right now.  we usually have to cut all of the dead wood off each spring.  nothing died this winter.  it never got cold enough, really.

 the bradford pear tree will have their stinky white flowers blooming soon.  

 the weeping cherry tree still shows some of last year's remnants tangled with the new leaves.  

 i had fresh chives for our dinner salad this past sunday. 

 rhubarb, i have rhubarb......and i have visions of rhubarb crumble dancing in my head.

 the raspberry canes are abloom 

 and the strawberry runners are running amok....

even the weeds are growing.

and it looks like the grass is going to need cutting soon.

this just doesn't happen in michigan.  

we usually have snow well into march and even into april.  nothing starts blooming until the first couple weeks of april and the leaves on the trees usually don't start  budding until may.  we are supposed to have temps in the high 80's until the end of the week and then 20-30 degrees above average for the week following. 

the kids have been playing outside every day until nightfall, barefoot, bruised and mosquito bitten....

and best of all??? on saturday night, st. patrick's day, we went to ziggy's.

our local ice cream spot closes for the year on september 30th and reopens on april 1st every year....

it's been open since march 14th....

a really smart business move since i was in line for 25 minutes waiting for my first ice cream of the year.....well worth the wait...

      :D   <-----  that's me with a huge smile on my face....

i hope the weather in your area of the country is just as beautiful as it is here.