HEY HEY!! Went outside into the blustery winds this morning and
checked the western raised bed and it has SEVEN crocuses!! There
they were, looking like the crocus fairy had risen during the wee
hours, brushed the snows that hadn't completely melted away, and
carefully coaxed each mature bud from between the slender, grassy
leaves that were protectively wrapped around each blossom, then while
the flowers were being born, took his detail brush, and carefully
painted pin stripes of purplish pink along the soft lemon yellow
petals.

Across from the one snowdrop that I had found yesterday in the snow,
was another one, standing proudly against the dark, moist, cold soil.
The other one was more timid.....it was smaller, but had strived to
put out a flower equally as magnificent as it's sister just a short
way aways. It looks like the fairies are putting out the lamps to
light their way thru the raised bed in the wee hours of the morning.

These are the teeny snowdrops that come first. They don't have the
dots of green on each petal near the tips, but had a green thumb
smudge at the base of each flower near the top of the stem. Pure
magic.

The winds threaten to tear the hair out, and thru the swaying of my
massive jack pines, I smell the warming soils. The wind wheel is
turning so fast the colors are all running together. The birds are
hanging on tight to the feeders and I gaze at them in humor. "HANG
ON MARGARET, it's gale winds, hold yer feathers tight!"! GBSEG

Sunny today, and despite the threat of moisture rolling thru again,
this is what we gardeners live for. Each little bulb emerging to give
us hope that spring, though not totally here yet, is just in the
wings with another amazing show.

thanks for allowing the time to share again with you. I have changed
newsgroup servers and hopefully this one will work.........
madgardener up on the blustery ridge, back in fairy holler where the
fairies are slowly waking up and going about their routines in this
garden, overlooking a scrubbed English Mountain in Eastern Tennessee,
zone 6b