the promise of spring

Winter's Last Stand

Winters in Nova Scotia are a roller coaster of temperatures. The worst thing about this winter has been the freeze/thaw cycle but all in all it hasn't been that bad. We haven't been whacked with a big snow fall....until the night before I took this photograph...shadows of dried hydrangea flower heads.

We received about 12 inches of snow, but it was light and fluffy and lovely. And it was especially nice because I didn't have to shovel it this time! I decided it was worthy of our snow plow guy to come and move it.

Late in the afternoon the outdoors beckoned and it was just above freezing so I put on my woolies and took the dogs out into the back yard. I pulled out a bench and sat in the rays of the setting sun. We live in a busy area of town, but it was quiet and the only traffic noise was in the distance.

I watched as the occasional breeze sent bursts of snow scattering from the limbs of the trees in the park behind us.

I listened to a woodpecker hard at work somewhere in the woods.

I felt the tiniest bit of warmth in the sun, the promise that spring will arrive.


And I could smell the faintest whiff of roast chicken coming from the house.

It was time to go back inside with the promise of spring in my heart. 

Update: That feeling has been tested lately. We received 2 days of snowfall in April and it seems like spring is a long way away.