Do You Hear What I Hear?!?!?!

Sadie the Dog awoke with a start this morning.  Frank is traveling for business, so she left her usual post by the door to climb into the bed to sleep last night (she's still in a bit of a state that we left her with sitters for two back-to-back trips).

From the look on her face you could tell that she wasn't sure if the noise was squirrels on the roof, reindeer, or that magical thing we call rain....fortunately it was rain!

When we walked outside, I'm not sure which of us was more excited.  The air was cool, the grass was wet, and there is a certain freshness in the air.  After taking care of her morning rituals, she is now dozing next to the screen door, just enjoying this new experience.

It Seems Winter is Here

It's 48 degrees at the moment, but the forecast is for another cold night. It was in the 30's this morning, but the weather did the classic Atlanta thing and warmed up quickly. My transplanted Bostonian attitude has kicked in as I hear shoppers talking about the "snow coming to Atlanta!" (Translated as perhaps a semi-frozen flake in the midst of the rain tomorrow morning.) Quick! Let's all run out and buy toilet paper and milk! (I've never understood why these are the two things that we MUST have in our homes during a blizzard.....I'd rather have brownies, ice cream and cognac if I'm being snowed in).

In the garden, it's amazing what difference comes in a week. Here are a few shots from this week.

From the top: This camellia was hidden for ten years behind one of the arborvitaes that was cut down a couple of weeks ago. It's amazing what a little sun will do for a flower!

The mustards and chards are taking on incredible color as the weather chills.

The creeping fig looks so beautiful at this time of year when the asparagus is down for the winter.

The fatsia japonica with its "Sputnik"-like blooms

It looks like snow, but it's just a view through the elderly Autumn Cherry.

Bake some brownies and light the fireplace!

The Last Cold Morning?

It's 44 degreees right now (7 AM), and according to the television meteorologists, this is going to be our "last cold morning of the season." I'm not sure how they know that, but The Weather Channel's website is saying the same thing, so who am I to argue?

All I know is that the weather has been absolutely glorious the past couple of days, and the forecast is for mid-to-high 70's and lots of sun for the next ten days (I'm ignoring the 30% chance of showers tomorrow afternoon......)

The top half of the neighbor's tree is still lying in my back yard from last week's storm, but other than that, it looks like smooth sailing for the spring and summer season! Give yourself an Earth Day treat and go visit your favorite garden center this week! When you see that one "I couldn't possibly spend that on a plant......" plant, buy it for yourself!