March 18: Dogwood Monday is Back

Winter doesn't seem quite prepared to end its hold on us and this morning dawned cloudy and unpleasantly cold.  There is snow forecast for later today and overnight temps will be well below freezing.  The radiators clink reliably in the mornings and evenings, sending warmth throughout the house and reminding me that longer days not withstanding, Winter is still in the air.

In the last few years, we've enjoyed a relatively early Spring and I suppose I have come to rely on that.  This year's return to normal is natural, if unwelcome.  In lieu of much-desired warmth and sunlight, I will instead settle for weekly dogwood pictures.  That's becoming a seasonal tradition around Sassafras House, and it will continue this Spring.   

Upon first glance, my backyard dogwood tree looks like it doesn't have much going on.

But a closer look reveals that there are tight buds at the end of the branches.  Those little buds are a happy, hopeful sign.

The buds will grow larger and become blooms soon enough.  But for now, I wait.