Not sure twice makes a tradition, but stopped at the homey Race St Cafe in Philly after the day’s race (The Love Run) named after Philly’s famous sculpture and park. It was a. Ice breakfast and this was the glimpse of the cafe sign through the wi down from where I was sitting.

Sadly, my Saucer Magnolia was attempting to bloom when winter returned and it froze all the blossoms. This year I have the tree of death instead of the magnificent blooms this tree usually brings. It’s a crap shoot with trees like this- getting the early hope for warmer temps and having winter roar back and smash that hope if even just for a few days. And these dead blossoms seem to refuse to fall, just rubbing in the point that winter made this year!

Spring is returning and the snow is melting, hopefully alleviating the cold burden from the flowering plants that bloomed too early.

So when it snows outside our minds turn to warm tropical places. This is a plant I have in my office to help me imagine it. Actually I got it for its hardiness and winter blooms to brighten up the space. I usually overlook it, taking it for granted though. Today I noticed it.

Spring was pushed out of the way by the strong final grip of winter.

The ornamental pear trees in the neighborhood are just as glorious as the earlier cherry trees, but they stink. They are also weak in the winter snow weight and often fail.

And so the daffodils are a bit early, like most other things, but they still present a nice view of the season just around the corner.

And so despite the early warm temps in February, neither have the robins arrived or the forsythia bushes bloomed until now…now spring is arriving.

It is an early spring day in the front yard of the neighborhood nursing home.