It is February 2026, not quite too late to wish everyone a healthy, peaceful and joyous new year.
Last year, we had been wondering if this winter would bring us more snow than the previous years. If this was a wish, it was surely granted. In January, it snowed multiple times. We had to deal with nasty sleet and ice one weekend and the following week (on January 25), we got as much as one foot of snow. Our snow team was ready and came out to shovel four times on this Sunday and again the next day. We can be proud of doing a better job than many home- and business owners. Fortunately, the snow was at first light and fluffy and could even be removed with a broom.
This snow came during a long cold spell, which means that now, two weeks later, it has not yet melted. While the stubborn snow banks at the road sides are quickly becoming an ugly grey eye sore, the snow in the garden is still white and pristine.
We know that under this blanket, life is stirring. The snow drops, here photographed just before the snow fell, will continue to open their buds once the sun and the heat they produce themselves have melted the icy cover. Soon they will be joined by crocuses and lenten roses. It may be hard to believe on a day with temperatures in the teens, but spring will come before we know it.
