No sooner had January ended, which wasn't particularly bad weatherwise, or the temperatures dropped. Now there is snow in the forecast, but as we really hadn't had any significant snowfall around here, I could live with some white fluffy stuff for a while. After all, it does make everything look so nice, at least until it starts getting sooty and grey. I bring home enough work from the office to occupy myself for the day. When I get up the first inches of snow have dropped. It looks beautiful. It continues to snow and I start taking some pictures around the garden. What a winter wonderland. But that first snow was a bit on the wet side, coating branches as it fell. Now, branches are starting to droop as more and more snow accumulates on trees and shrubs.  Back inside where it is nice and warm, The Spouse and I have a cup of coffee before I go back to work.

It continues to snow, pretty much all day long. Once ever so often The Spouse goes out to shovel snow; our neigbhor with a snowblower helps clearing the sidewalk and the driveway. In time evening falls, the roads are cleared and the next morning I go back to work. And so days pass. The days are grey and dreary. One day the sun comes out and you can almost feel a hint of spring in the air. The next morning we go back to dark and dreary.

Another week passes with more snow in the forecast. The first storm dumps slushy wet snow that disappears almost overnight. Later I find out we were lucky, my friend only 20 miles further south got 10 inches of snow. The next morning the second storm of that week hits. A large storm that stretches across several states dumps over 30 inches in some areas north of us, while we get about six inches. At times during that day the sun comes out. At other times the sky turns dark and flakes swirl around. I stay indoors, waiting for the snow to stop. Enough already! I am so done with winter, the cold, the snow. It's still to early to start my seeds. I have multiplied plants from cuttings and I am running out of room. Most orchids have budding flowerspikes or are blooming. And while it all looks very pretty outside, I am yearning to see a patch of grass, some plants not covered up by snow.