Amazing Winter 2015

Not to intentionally anger the rest of the country, but here in the Pacific Northwest we had one of the most beautiful, amazing winters. Little rain, lots and lots of sunshine, blue skies and temps in the 50s and 60s. Spring has already brought us a few days in the 70s.

It was not a good winter for the mountains and ski resorts, which is a huge bummer for snowy sports fans, not to mention the lack of snow in the mountains could mean less water for the farmers this summer. And I have a feeling the bugs and weeds this year will be atrocious, but those of you who live out here will feel me when I shout out about this winter and spring so far, because we know how cold and rainy it can be here normally. How we can endure thirty days in a row of cold rain with no sign of the sun, sixty chilly damp days in a row with no sun, even more than that. So much more that when we are in the middle of those winters we wonder if we will make it through or if the same miserable weather will just continue all summer into fall. There are years when we don’t see the sunshine and 60 degrees until the end of June.

Before it was officially spring this year things that normally wake up in spring were already in full bloom, the plum and cherry trees, the daffodils and tulips.

The air was bursting with perfume every day. Even my old fashioned English rose bush let off her scent earlier than I can ever remember it happening before, during the second week of March.

The gardener and born-in-Denver-sun-and-blue-sky-worshipper in me hopes this means lots more sun and gorgeous weather for the rest of this spring and summer, a summer desperate for icy cold lemonade and gin and tonics outside, a summer of more rose blooms than I know what to do with, a summer long and hot enough to grow tomatoes without a greenhouse!