Wasn’t it supposed to be spring? I find it beautiful in its own way but one of my friends is  depressed. It’s not just the weather – she is dealing with family trauma that goes all the way back to the Maoist revolution – but the cold, wet snow is exacerbating the problem. For the sake of all Edmontonians who are suffering from SAD, I hope we see some green buds open soon.

It didn’t stop snowing for two days so it’s too mucky to go outside. Even the resident rabbit shook his paws in disgust as he waded through the mush. I don’t have any rubber boots so my only contact with nature is sipping tea by this orchid and looking out at the myriad shades of glittering white.

There has been a spring role reversal in my family. I always grab a rake while the snow is still on the ground eager to see plants come out. This year, with a couple of crises flaring up, I was particularly lazy. To my and the garden’s delight, my husband cleared everything out to perfection. Now I can walk around leisurely and take pictures of the spring shoots. Thank goodness for that antiquated institution of marriage.

Even this Robin has decided to forego his usual feast of worms and has been here all morning munching on rotten apples. I don’ t know if there is a single bird in the neighbourhood who hasn’t tried our crabapple delight. I tried them myself last summer and they were the most foul tasting crabapple ever. Yet, there are other apple trees in the neighbourhood and I don’t see any birds on them. Ours must be special. I think that I will try to make some crabapple jelly this summer just to see what the fuss is about.

This small crabapple tree with rotten apples is host to an awful lot of critters. Every time I look at it another bird or squirrel is feeding on its fruit or picking something delicious out of the bark. I am almost tempted to try it myself as it seems to be the neighbourhood gourmet diner.