Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Quiet Days of Winter

Nothing exciting going on here in Robin's Nest this winter. But that doesn't stop me from dreaming about the garden. Sometimes, I stop and picture how the flowers looked last summer, and then I just smile.  It makes it a little easier to deal with the dull, drab days. I can even see those same flowers, gathered in vases around the house. You see, I always make sure to dry some of my favorite hydrangeas just for this purpose.



Winter is a good time to grow a few blooms in the house, wouldn't you agree? Apple Blossom amaryllis put on a good show for me in early January.





After it faded, I added a few grocery store primroses to the window ledge garden. When spring comes, I'll plant them outside.



We only had a little bit of snow this year, and even then, it melted quickly. I'm always glad for that. 






After the snow, we had a long stretch of unseasonable warmth. I'm not a big fan of winter, but it stayed warm so long that I was afraid that the plants would break dormancy. One of the grocery store primroses from years past was confused enough to put out a little bloom. Many of my bulbs also peeked out during that same stretch.


Eventually, it turned back to winter temperatures. But the gloom is deep. We haven't seen the sun in quite some time. I've been busy crafting this winter, mostly crochet projects. I've been churning out afghans, for no particular reason other than I find them soothing to work on. It's also a good time to cook up pots of soup, and settle in with a good book. I did keep one small geranium at the end of the summer, and its small flowers remind me that winter won't last forever. I always try to remember that a time of rest is a good thing too.


Quiet days aren't so bad. It's nice to settle down, take a deep breath, and just relax. Garden days will be back before you know it!

10 comments:

  1. Your dried Hydrangea are pretty and a welcomed reminder of summer days gone past. I also like your snowy views. We have a slight dusting of snow on the ground right now from a recent weather system two days ago. I am also staying inside and dreaming of warmer days. Have a great week!

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    1. Every year I dry a few hydrangea blossoms, leaving most of them for me to enjoy outside. But then I found that hydrangea vase, and I've really enjoyed filling it up. It sure makes me smile sitting my bedroom!

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  2. We seemed to have the same weather pattern. Tuesday it was in the 60's. Today everyone is waking to a world cover in ice. I had planned a trip to town, but right now I am backing out due to last night's ice storm. Ice storms here are rare, making them even more dangerous because of the skiff of snow that covers the ice. Nope. Staying in. Love your dried hydrangea. I am oping that my little blue one survives the winter.

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    1. Hydrangeas are so simple to save, you must try it yourself!

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  3. Yes, I suppose the ONE nice thing about winter (and we know there's only one, ha ha) is that it's a good excuse to stay inside and cuddle up with a good book. We've had a snowless January but the entire month was cloudy and dreary. Yuck! I think we set a record for the most days in a row without sunshine. Wish I could run away to Mexico or the Caribbean. ;-) Anyway, the sun peeked out for a couple of hours yesterday and today we've had some sun, too...so I will send it your way!

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    1. We had the exact same kind of January, warmer than usual, barely any snow. But oh so dreary!

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  4. Hi Robin, I enjoyed this post! The dried hydrangeas in the white vases are beautiful, and the blue bottles against the snow are quite striking. I would love to know the story of the flag with the starry (or is it snowy) background.

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    1. Half the fun of using those colorful wine bottles in my garden is how they look in the snow! I posted on your blog about my flag photo. They're simply flash illuminated snowflakes.

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  5. I'm glad you are enjoying the quiet of winter, Robin. I spend my days writing which gives me as much pleasure as gardening. Thank goodness for amaryllis so we can get our bloom fix when there's none outside. P.x

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