you hellebore bud beauties emerging from the -12F lows like all you experienced was a rejuvenating cold plunge. more like hellebadas..

Above and below. Brought to you by the aforementioned backyard Lake Michigan and it’s many depths and reflections.

not pictured: mini Lake Michigan in my back yard. Or, in a gardener’s eyes: a place that needs plant roots to soak up all that moisture.

i think that’s the melted wicked witch of the west in there! she’s in good company with all the other melting going on.

time to play ‘will it live tho?’ the sage? i sure hope so. look at the wee greenlings in the background. 7/10 it lives.

today was supposed to be the day snow started melting. buuuut then we got hit with two winter weather advisories and a layer of icing is expected by morning? that can’t be right.

actual footage from Tim Burton’s garden. (sambucus racemosa ‘lemony lace’ aka red elderberry)

untouched snow tempts me. it tempts me not to touch it for preservation of the pure. but only slightly less than it tempts me to just messy up the hell out of it. which i did after i took this photo. and i regretted the 12F feels. ouch.

my daughter is 18 months old today. parents always hear about 18-months being a milestone. idk why. but she likes sitting at this table and playing with various outdoor things like these maple seeds. so here is this photo. i love you, my squiggle worm!

you guessed it friends. there’s still snow.

can a pile of sticks ever make a good picture? maybe. but i can’t make that happen. posting because a pile of sticks is worth mentioning! i keep these in a far away corner of my yard so that little critters can find shelter in the winter. and i know it’s working because my dog was desperately trying to get at whatever was inside. yay for housefullness for critters of our ecosystem.

dear past self, please tell me you checked this euphorbia’s growing zone before planting her. i can confirm that you lost the plant tag and i cannot look her up to predict her current status of life. now, only spring will tell. i love you and forgive you, present self.

high of 3F. its not natural to be stuck inside all day. and my soul has leached out of my pores because of it.

it was -10F today. i did not go outside. i did not take this picture today. i was a cold wuss.

more snow. i wonder if it’ll all be frozen tomorrow, shit’s getting down to -7F the last time i checked.

it was all slush about two hours later.

New discovery: ground icicles

basil flower heads and snow rings dance together in the glow of my coffee-drinking lamp. i left the basil up to feed the birds and other wildlife during the cold season. it’s turning out to be one of my favorite winter interests.

it’s also chill to just look at the garden from the inside.

one day we’ll put in a swing set for this one but i think she’ll get just as much intrigue from a growing garden. it’s already starting.