Melting Snow, Signs of Spring, Camera Critters

We've been having highs in the upper 30s and 40s, and the couple of feet of snow we had has been melting.  Some of it is ending up in our basement.  When I looked out for critters today, I got sidetracked taking photos of some surprises I found.

I am pleased to see new growth on my hellebores.  I need to look in the book I won from Jan, at Thanks for Today to see if I should be removing the leaves yet.

The heucheras look like they've survived winter so far.

Larry took the corn out of the squirrel feeder in the front yard, scraped the corn off, and scattered it around.  The lambs ears and lamium look like they are ready to grow.

As I was about to step off the porch to take more melting snow photos, my eyes landed on a squirrel about 8 feet away, eating corn off a cob it brought over from the neighbor's, and I thought, oh, goodie, now I can post for Camera Critters, hosted by Misty Dawn.  I was amazed at how many photos it let me take of it. By now, there is probably a nice list of critter photos to check out by clicking the link in my sidebar.

Troy's granddaughter, these are for you!  Grandpa left me a nice comment saying how much you like my squirrel photos.

After the squirrel left, I ventured off the porch to see what was else was going on.  (When our daughter-in-law came to get Grandson, she brought the rest of the acorns she had swept up this fall.  This time, Larry plans to put them out in the front yard.)

The liatris and fireworks goldenrod are still looking good in the snow.

The yarrows are greening up already.  I have been gardening for so long, yet from year to year, don't always remember when some things start growing, and if they start too soon, what happens to them.

I forgot the name of this repeat blooming iris that didn't get to finish blooming when freezing weather hit.

I'm curious to see how these Debonair mums do.

I wonder if I should cut the dead part off of the snapdragons.  I have had them live over the winter before, but don't remember them staying green during the winter.

I'm assuming the fire hydrant got used today, but since the snow is there, I don't think the hose drug on the plants.  I forgot to go out to look.  I did look as I drove by to go look at appliances, and it looked fine.  When we came home from taking our grandson to see my parents today, there were several fire trucks and other vehicles up and down the street.  A neighbor told us there had been a fire across the street in the blue house, third from the corner.  They were winding up the hoses when we pulled up, and when I thought to get out the camera, they were finished.

As I was taking photos of the fire trucks, I saw some sparrows on my next door neighbor's porch railing and bush.

Theses pots in the back no longer have their huge snow hats.

The pinewood thyme (from the above pot on the left) is greening up, too!

The flat leaf parsley will bloom this year, since it's a biennial.  I will snip the leaves until it does.  In the past, I put parsley plants on the compost pile when they started blooming, but I've read that the caterpillars and butterflies like parsley blooms, so I let them grow.  I should have lots of parsley blooms in my garden across the street.

I'll need to cut back the sweet autumn clematis before new growth comes up, but for now, I'll enjoy the seedheads as I walk in and out of the back door.

The days are continuing to get longer, and when February gets here, I will start being more at ease, knowing spring is on its way.  I have not been visiting blogs or posting as often, as I went from helping our daughter move, to planning a kitchen remodel.  I am thankful for all the encouragement and ideas people left in their comments on my last post.

We have someone coming Monday to show us his plan and the materials he has available.  In the meantime, we went ahead and looked at appliances, and have what we want in mind.  Actually, we each want a different refrigerator.  I have chosen a particular side by side because it doesn't stick out into the room as far, has the energy star, and I like the layout.  The one Larry wants has French doors, which would be nice, but the freezer is on the bottom, which I don't know if I could get used to, and the ice maker is in the refrigerator.  I don't want to see an ice maker when I open the refrigerator.  Plus, it sticks out into the room several inches more than the one I want, and the one we currently have, which I feel sticks out as far as I'd want one to.

Well, I hope all of you are doing well, and even if I'm not getting you visited, you all are in my thoughts and prayers.