Snow, snow and more snow

And the snow keeps tumbling down.  The groundhog definitely didn't see his shadow here yesterday, but it doesn't really matter since spring won't arrive until May - April at the earliest - no matter what the groundhog sees or says.   They say snow is the poor man's fertilizer because it contains a bunch of nitrogen - and since it comes from the snow it's free.  Every cloud has its silver lining - or in this case white lining.  There are all kinds of sayings.  The rich get their ice in the summer and the poor gets their's in the winter.  When the days begin to lengthen the cold begins to strengthen.  Or as e.e. cummings once wrote, The snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom it touches.  The latter must have been written towards the end of winter when old e.e. was getting a bit grumpy. 

Not only does snow have nitrogen, it also means much needed moisture in the spring given our four year drought and it's doing a great job of insulating all those perennials in the garden.  I can't wait to see what survived.  That's what I love about perennials - the excitement in the spring when you first spot them unfurling their little green arms up out of the ground.  It makes you want to drop to the earth and lip smack them right on their tender little shoots.  It's a thrilling thing.  In the meantime, the great white bump continues to grow and poor old Crayola is scratching to get in . . . gotta go!