On the Cusp?

We got 8" of snow last week, and now have temps in the 60s this week.  It really feels like we're transitioning to spring.  The sun is startlingly warm while the breeze still picks up the chill of the snow lingering in the shade.

The boundary between two seasons.

Even the bench is warming up.

Ray will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that this is dianthus freynii

emerging gorgeously from under the snow in the trough in his front yard.

I know, I know, there's still more cold, sleet and probably snow to come, but I can enjoy the sun today knowing spring is only a couple weeks away.

Yellow Constellation

Even on the dark days of February, the winter jasmine, jasminum nudiflorum, lights up the deck. It's planted at the base of one of the deck support columns, about 8' below this level.  Over the years we've trained it on the trellises under the deck.  It's quietly putting on quite a show now.

This jasmine is quite possibly the best $2 I ever spent.