February ....Already????

Oh January, I hardly knew you.

I spent most of the weekend outside, in the unseasonably warm weather. Climate change, ahoy! It seems that everybody is either experiencing unnecessarily ruthless barrages of sleet and snow, or uncharacteristically spring-like weather. That would be us. 70 degrees F has been the norm this week.

My poor tulips and hyacinths are beside themselves...bloom? Should I bloom now? How about now? Now? Not yet? Poor babies.

I spent most of the time pruning back, cleaning up, and putting away Christmas decorations. Ahem. But I also planted a few sprigs of ground cover and a mock orange in the front, which I think will be lovely on the hill off the deck. I moved furniture and weeded and hauled dirt and then I went into the backyard and did it all again. It's hard work, but I needed to soak up some Vitamin D (to improve my mood) and I needed to get it done (to improve my neighborhood) so I'm grateful for the inspiring weather. Now rain, please!

I think it was two Fridays ago that I went to a "crochitting" party with some teacher friends. I love these ladies! There are about a dozen or so, and everybody brings a knitting or crocheting project (hence: crochitting as the combination of the two) and we sit around and talk and laugh and work away! There are experts there in every possible combination of craft and fiber, so good advice abounds to get you over the hump of a particularly thorny problem.

Miss Susan opens her home and her enormous dining room table (seats about 20!) and she makes us breakfast for dinner ~ pancakes and eggs and scones and bacon and could you die? I brought about 5 projects, but ended up working on the one that I've had the hardest time motivating myself to finish (a beautiful but stubborn blanket I've been piecing together for almost a year!) because everything is easy when you're in good company.

By the time I got out my camera we were well past the witching hour when most people had the good sense to go home. By the time I took these three pictures, each of our husbands had called at least once to make sure we were still alive. Good times.