psa: 1st sign of spring ...

[In_The_Wind]

On a drive into town yesterday I noticed the weeping willows were a light green color against the stark winter background. Spring is indeed not far away in my neck of the woods. The sap is rising!




Have you seen signs of spring 2014 where you live ?

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	another poll brought to you by ITW ...
	0 (0%)
	it seems like winter will never go away ...
	3 (60%)
	we didn't have a cold winter ...
	0 (0%)
	spring already sprung ...
	2 (40%)
	other, please describe the changing of season where you are ...
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[Aristus]

1. I love it when the sap rises...

It's a clear sunny day here in the Pacific Northwest. A few more days of these and we'll be breaking out the shorts and the sunglasses. We Washingtonians have a hilarious over-reaction to the change in the weather every Spring. As if we weren't facing another three months of constant drizzle.

[In_The_Wind]

4. I couldn't believe my eyes in uptown Kingston:

A guy was walking around without his shirt.
It looked like he was on his way home from the gym.
But, seriously, it was only 20 degrees. I felt cold just looking at him.

I believe we are another month away from shorts here. We don't have much of a spring in upstate New York. It seems to straight from winter into summer.

[pipi_k]

2. Even though

I chose "It seems like winter will never go away", I do have to say that one of the very first signs of spring I always notice, is, like yours, the first pale greening of the weeping willows.

Usually around mid March in my area.

Then, in no particular order, skunk cabbage, mud season, peepers (AKA "pee-pahs&quot , and the smell of dead skunks in the middle of the road.

[In_The_Wind]

6. I did notice a few forsythia branches looking a bit green also.

You are a bit northeast of me. I think it's beautiful over there.

I enjoy seeing the skunk cabbage but my hearing has gotten soooo bad that I really have to listen hard for the peepers. At one time they sounded so loud that a few springs ago I wondered if the local population had dropped.

I saw a dead coyote on the side of 9W yesterday.

[pipi_k]

25. It really is

beautiful in my part of the state, and it's often forgotten in the travel pamphlets, as most of the attention is focused on Boston and Cape Cod.

Spring in this area (as well as Summer) is the only thing that makes living here in the Winter worthwhile, if one isn't a fan of snow or Winter sports. Crocus, forsythia, creeping phlox (one home I used to pass each day on my way to work had the entire front lawn in phlox...each May it would explode in pastels...just beautiful!)

It's unfortunate that you can't hear the peepers. Mr Pipi has lost most of his higher range, and can't hear them either.

I really hate seeing dead animals on the side of the road...even coyotes, which many of the neighbors see as "vermin". I like them, as long as they stay out in the woods. It's sort of fun to get the goosebumps from hearing them howl and yip out there...

[antiquie]

3. Seasons? You have seasons?

We are still raindancing in shorts. It looks like it worked.

Tonight
Rain 52 °F
90% chance of precipitation

Tomorrow
Chance of Rain 66 °F
90% chance of precipitation

Tomorrow Night
Rain 53 °F
100% chance of precipitation

Friday
Rain 60 °F
100% chance of precipitation

Saturday
Rain 59 °F
90% chance of precipitation

Sunday
Chance of Rain 65 °F
30% chance of precipitation

[In_The_Wind]

7. Hurray for rain!

At least it's a warm rain. My rain still comes down in hard pieces.

[Jenoch]

5. Not even close.

Tonight
-22°
27 mph winds
blowing snow

Tomorrow
-2°
20 mph winds
blowing snow

Tomrrow Night

-18°
25 mph winds
blowing snow

Friday

-6°
10 mph winds
blowing snow

I forgot to mention the windchill from
-30° to -45°

[antiquie]

10. Deepest sympathy.

[In_The_Wind]

11. It's still winter here but nature is showing signs of rebirth.

Tonight
Mostly clear this evening...then becoming partly cloudy. Colder with lows around 4 above. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph this evening...becoming light and variable.

Thursday
Partly sunny in the morning...then becoming mostly cloudy. Cold with highs in the mid 20s. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

Thursday Night
Partly cloudy. Cold with lows around 2 above. West winds 10 to 15 mph.

Friday
Partly sunny. Cold with highs around 19. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night
Partly cloudy in the evening...then becoming mostly cloudy. Cold with lows around 6 above. Light and variable winds.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. Not as cool with highs in the lower 30s.

Saturday Night and Sunday
Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Lows in the mid 20s. Highs in the mid 30s.

Sunday Night and Monday
Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow. Cold. Lows 15 to 20. Highs in the upper 20s.

Monday Night
Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow showers. Lows around 10 above.

Tuesday through Wednesday
Partly cloudy. Cold. Highs in the upper 20s. Lows 5 to 10 above.

I truly hate winter! So, I'm looking for any signs of spring to make me happy again.

[LiberalEsto]

8. I've been wheezing from tree pollen for a couple of weeks now

and will have to keep using my asthma inhaler and nasal spray twice a day until the end of April.

[In_The_Wind]

12. I've been sneezing for weeks but I thought it's from dust not pollen.

Sorry about your allergies.

[Jenoch]

19. When I was much younger

I moved to Duluth, Minnesota. I moved there in March and later in the spring I noticed aot of green dust on the hood of my truck. I asked a co-worker what it was. He looked at me like I was stupid and asked if I had never seen tree pollen before. I responded that I had not because I grew up in southern Minnesota and the wind was usually always blowing in the spring, plus we did not have many trees.

[rrneck]

9. Unseasonably warm here. nt

[In_The_Wind]

13. Let's hope it doesn't become uncomfortable.

Or too hot this summer.

[rrneck]

14. Or too dry. Fire season's gonna be a pain. ng

[In_The_Wind]

15. I hope you get some rain when you need it.

[rrneck]

16. Thanks.

We could use it. I don't mind hot weather, and truth to tell I'm digging a warm winter. I've only had to plow the road once, and that's once more than I wanted to. I'm really glad I missed all that polar vortex stuff. I should count my blessings.

[In_The_Wind]

17. We just brought our pickup home. The tyranny gave up in late November.

So, Mr ITW didn't bother to clear enough space for two cars when the snow was light and fluffy. It's over a foot of rock hard frozen stuff now. After chipping through it late this afternoon he said "I'll never do that again." That's a standing joke around here.

[rrneck]

18. Story of my life.

[In_The_Wind]

20. I'm really glad I read your reply before supper!

[yuiyoshida]

21. San Francisco has three types of weather.

Sunny and Warm (Fall, Some of Winter, Spring)

Cold and Foggy (All summer)


Rain (Rare) Winter.

[In_The_Wind]

26. Sigh. Back in '06, I planned a trip on my trike to see the west coast.

I never made it.

[yuiyoshida]

31. What you need to do is hop on your trike and head out

oh and if you have an ipod.. make sure you are playing this song...

[In_The_Wind]

33. Mebbe I listened to that too many times when I was younger.

It's from my college days.

I only settle down for a few years before the wander lust takes over again.
My plans for this summer include riding like the wind every chance I get. Summer is far too short in the north.

[hobbit709]

22. Lately here we've had all four seasons in one day.

high of 86° to a freezing rain by the next morning.

[In_The_Wind]

27. I hate it when that happens.

When I was growing up in Atlanta, the coat I wore to school in the morning was never necessary on my way home in the afternoon. We never got more than a dusting of snow. It was fun crunching down the spikes of ice that had pushed up out of the ground overnight.

It was up to 31 today. We had heavy snow flurries for about half an hour around noontime . Sigh. It's going down to 4 tonight.

[Earth_First]

23. Not an ecological sign of Spring so much...

However our seed order arrived today!

So that's typically our reminder that Spring is not far behind..m

[In_The_Wind]

30. The brambles are bright red. Snow is still covering everything.

I'm going to order new waterlilies in a month or two.

When I can see the pond again.

[Earth_First]

40. How are the fishes?

Any get Heron'd?

[In_The_Wind]

42. They didn't survive the summer.

The pond was in full sun. We were told to take down the arbor we built to help keep them cool. So we planted shrubs that will shade it in the coming years. I'm going to stick with pond plants for the next two years. If it doesn't look like it'll be a safe home for the fishes we may fill it in and plant a tree.

[Arkansas Granny]

24. I have crocus blooming, the buds on the daffodils are swelling (I saw some already blooming

last weekend), the maple trees are budding and the Bradford pears are just showing some color.

We have a chance of snow this weekend.

[In_The_Wind]

35. My crocus and daffodils are still under a blanket of old snow.

Branches are still falling off the paper-bark tree.

More snow is on the way!

[Arkansas Granny]

36. You have my sympathy. I'm so sick of cold weather.

[In_The_Wind]

38. After living in the north for 45 years I never completely adjusted to the cold.

I give up. This week I'm applying for jobs near home but I'm going to need to find a gas station that will pump my gas for me. I really do get chilled through and through when I stand outside for five minutes.

[warrprayer]

28. going down to - 5 here tonite...

I am chipping icicles off my....

[In_The_Wind]

29. Oh my!

Be careful!

[Raine1967]

32. I'm in NoVa -- my Hyacinths have popped!

and I see some daffodils!


IT'S ALMOST HERE!


I also notice that a couple of my Swiss Chard plants from last years garden are still sprouting. They spent the winter covered in leaves and spent beer grain from hubbies home brews.

[In_The_Wind]

34. I love the image you posted. It really says it all.

A breath of green among the white.

How much beer does your husband brew?

[Raine1967]

37. At least twice a month. 5 gallon batches.

We use the grains for compost when we have enough homemade doggie biscuits. (We made them for our recently gone away beagle baby and for all the puppies and neighbors who walked past our place.)

We also donate the grains to a local vendor and friend who makes her own doggie biscuits to sell along with her other treats...


We brew a lot, but I'll tell you this... when we have a snow storm? We're out shoveling with the neighbors... EVERYONE gets a pint!


I can't wait until Spring when we can just sit out front. They eventually turn into front yard gatherings. Chairs are pulled out, kids are blowing bubbles and we are all shooting the sh... with pints.

SPring is coming!

[In_The_Wind]

41. Sounds like not very much goes to waste.

That's really awesome.

Sorry about your beagle baby. It feels so good to bake for our animals. Miss Frodo (the blue & gold parrot) is totally spoiled as my vet pointed out.





C'mon Spring!

[magical thyme]

39. it's above zero and we had a short thaw and refreeze

so I can walk on top of the snow now.

Spring is just a few months away!

[In_The_Wind]

43. Mr ITW was walking on top of the snow as he went for the ice chopper.

It's almost over! I survived another winter trapped inside. Now to get my old body working again ... must go for walks or something.

[magical thyme]

44. I braved it and walked my doggies for 20 minutes off leash

in the woods behind my pasture.

It will be too wet back there in the spring, and to buggy and overgrown in the summer.

But right now is perfect. We walked across the marsh pond. Good for the soul for sure!

[antiquie]

45. Last night we got .53 of an inch!

Daytime now is 74 degrees and low this am was 55
And the real storm is the next three days!
And the State Legislature passed money for a drought plan.

"Californy is the place you ought to be"

[Chan790]

46. While it's not my thing, NASCAR has started.

That is for the most part the only difference between Winter and early Spring here most of the time. That and the random days you can stand outside in short sleeves, snow pants and thigh-deep soft-pack snow in 50'F temperatures.

[DinahMoeHum]

47. Well, the days ARE getting longer. . .

. . .but it will really feel like spring is coming when I see buds on the trees, then the robins.

And, of course, "March Madness" college basketball. . .

[mopinko]

48. usually have snow drops by now.

under a foot of snow.