In the garden, I had to search a long time for any sign of spring at all. Not even the snow crocus have yet made any appearance that I've detected. I can only share these first sky-blue buds and yellow shoots of Scilla, just breaking the surface on the sunniest and warmest slope in my garden. There are a few brave daffodil fronds pushing up here and there, but no peonies, no Dutch crocus, no Puschkinia. Nothing but the squill to assure me that spring is coming or that the Earth has succesfully made it once again all the way around its star.
All of this is to say that I think spring will be late this year, or at least start up closer to average. In 2012, I found the first Scilla blooming on March 7th. In 2016 it was March 6th and the Star magnolia was blooming along with it on that date. We are going to be later this year than earlier, compared to my notes of the past two decades on this spot of ground.
So, I have only the garden of my mind at present, and this week it was outwitting squirrels. No, I don't mean I have a squirrel infestation here at the end of winter, I am referring to Anne Wareham's Outwitting Squirrels (and Other Garden Pests and Nuisances). I learned of the book on Garden Rant, where it was noted that it's not available in the US at present. But, Amazon, came through with a paperback copy for me last week and I've been learning about "Weeds You Don't Want", and ridding my garden of cats. Anne, thank you for a delightful, humorous, and easy read, short quick chapters in an older text of yours (2015), but new to me. It brought me one week closer to spring.