budding continues

Even the big trees over at the park are now in prime bud mode.

And if you look at the forest from a distance, you can see the faint red hue creeping in on the the brown (well, I can see it) ...

Still grey and cold, but the forecast for tomorrow is sunshine and 50 degrees.

Meanwhile the swamp cabbage shows no change or growth of any kind.  I expected to see that before the buds ...

more snow

This is what we woke up to!  It's a white wonder land.  Probably about 6 inches, but it's falling off the trees in big wet clumps and melting fast!

budding (almost blooming!)

Almost 40 degrees this afternoon.  Felt almost like a warm spell ...
Budding is on a roll around here, like the hair on my head which is finally starting to grow again as well.

 almost blooming!!

looking for spring

A big storm is coming later today, supposedly dumping a few more inches of snow.  Jubilee and I took advantage of the morning sun to walk our favorite trail at the park.  So far, we have seen nothing but winter there. 

 We checked by the stream for signs of swamp cabbage.  Nothing.

 Ice. Water. Leaves. Branches.

 

But if you look closely at the branches, there are buds!  (near the thorns to protect them from the birds?)

It's nice to have a clear, dry road to walk on.  For today.

men in the trees (ctd)

The men had descended in their containers and the trucks had moved on.  Jubilee settled back down into her afternoon nap, looked up, and there was another man in the tree -- this time climbing the tree! The excitement made her day.  She must have thought it was a strange new breed of squirrel!

men in the trees

The view from our window finally shows some action for Jubilee, who keeps watch most of the day ...

There is some sun today, but it still feels very cold.  From our morning walk:

I'm beginning to think that what I thought was swamp cabbage isn't really swamp cabbage at all, just some stagnant green sticking up from the ground.  It has shown no growth or any sign of life these last 3 weeks, and there is no other swamp cabbage coming up anywhere.

 

It is still very much winter around here.

last week

These are some photos from last week when the sun came out and the ice melted, then it snowed and everything froze again.  Repeat.  Today, every hour, the weather switches from sunshine to snow.  John and I both were sick last week with coughs, fever, sinus problems etc. - we even went to the doctor together!  We seem to be on the mend now.

 This is the view of Pittsburgh from a top floor of the UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Mercy Hospital) parking lot.

 Budding on the ornamental trees of our apartment complex are coming along ...

 ... even though there is always a dusting of snow on our balcony.

 

Jubilee is learning to enjoy herself even though she can't see well and bumps into things, like trees and branches!