Is it too early to dream of spring?

Week after week, snowstorm after snowstorm, my daffodil bulbs buried beneath mountains of snow... I love living in a "four season" part of the country but this winter has been brutal - and we're only halfway through it!

My favorite season is spring. I love watching the teeny bright green dots appear on the barren branches of trees and the tips of snowdrop leaves poking through the still cold ground. Every year we have dozens of daffodils added to our garden (they are the only spring bulb the deer don't eat) and I love watching them sway in the cool spring breeze.

Squirrels and chipmunks scamper across the yard in search of food as robins yank worms out of the soil.

One of the things I miss the most about the flower shop, and that I love the most about spring, is that earthy flowery scent. You know the one I mean, the sweetness of flowers mixed with musky soil and a fresh spring rain. When winter starts to get to me, I just have to close my eyes and I can conjure up that sweet aroma.

Flowering shrubs are a favorite of mine - sadly, they are a favorite food of the deer that inhabit our neighborhood. This winter's heavy snow means that the deer will be eating everything in sight, even the things they normally leave alone. I long for big azaleas and rhododendrons but know that it will be a losing battle.

Wildflowers and perennials peek out of the soil, soon to burst into bloom and the moss on the rocks becomes greener each day. My sweet lily of the valley fill my day with their heady scent as the japanese iris pop open next to forget-me-nots. Ahh, the joys of spring!

All things come to those who wait... so, I wait for winter to pass so I may enjoy the gifts of spring. Until then, I bundle up and head to work, thankful that tax season is during winter for me. A few pots of hothouse hyacinths will get me through the next cold weeks... no, it's not too soon to dream of spring!