Thursday, February 07, 2013

Signs of Spring

Friday Fave Fives is brought to you by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.  This is Willow's Week in five short glimpses of gratitude.

Even people who live in a Mediterranean climate need encouragement that winter will soon be over and spring will arrive.  I'm just not a winter girl.  Give me sunshine and warm weather!  I discovered more bits of evidence that spring is near.  This gives me the impetus to persevere for another month until spring officially shows up on the calender. 

1. Narcissus in my garden


2. This little pink plant is bravely blooming in the median on the overpass above Highway 101.  You can see it if you are waiting in the left turn lane for the red light to switch to green.


3. As I walked some students from class to the parking lot to meet their moms, one boy observed this chrysalis and pointed it out to me.  We had a moment of fun photographing it.  Soon, soon, it will burst open and a butterfly will pop out.


4. One evening this week we enjoyed a pleasant dinner with the co-leaders of our Adult Bible Fellowship group where we planned the schedule for the next few months.  Of course the topic of vacations came up.  Now we are already thinking about Spring Break and Summer Holidays.  It's amazing to me that Christmas is hardly over and we are talking about summer.

5.  The winter fruits are ripening like crazy.  Daily, I am picking mandarin oranges, but I can't keep up.  My students are sharing the avocados and lemons from their trees too.  We're NOT complaining!  More guacamole for all of us!


What are your favorite signs of spring?

17 comments:

Doug said...

I would LOVE some mandarin oranges right now!

Gattina said...

I am not a winter girl either ! I hate it actually, wished I could hibernate ! Today it had snowed again, after rather warm weather ! What a disappointment !

Tracy said...

Oh, this was happy to see! We are very much knee-deep in winter still, so no signs of spring yet. But I will be happy when the snowdrops start appearing... :o) Happy Days, Willow ((HUGS))

Susanne said...

Yum! Fresh picked mandarins and avocados! Now that is really a blessing.

While it has been a fairly warm and dry winter around here, I'm sure we will still get at least one more blast of winter before we can start to look for spring.

ellen b. said...

Flowers are way up there on my list. Strawberries are another of my favorite signs of Spring. Fresh picked ones from a stand in Camarillo are really good!
Now you have me smacking my lips for some guacamole!

Bethany said...

Oooh I am so jealous right now of all that fresh fruit! That is definitely something I miss in the winter. We were lucky that the storm missed us last night, so I haven't been thinking about spring yet. I did get a summer rental so that is something to look forward to!

Gracie Saylor said...

My oldest daughter and I got excited yesterday when looking out my front window we noticed that our camellia bush buds that are closest to the window are starting to open up to reveal their rich rosy redness! Spring is coming , indeed...even if there was ice on my windshield this morning =)
Blessings to you and yours,
Gracie

Heather said...

Those flowers are beautiful! I love flowers! I want a garden of my own someday.

My boys and I love to discover creatures outside. It's so much fun!

Have a blessed weekend!

Brenda said...

I love that the days start getting longer. I can barely survive the short winter days :(

Even in the middle of the city I see fruit tree's full all around my house. California is wonderful that way!

Jocelyn said...

I have to admit, loving the cold as I do, that I'm enjoying today's storm sitting in front of a fire. That said, I'm also eating mandarins like they're going out of style, and cooking with as many lemons as I can - our tree's going crazy!

Caroline said...

WE have citrus coming out of our ears, but typical human behavior, I want avocados more than citrus. I think it's so fun to share food though. My husband is the pied piper of kumquats and have gained many converts at our school by just having them on his desk and sharing whenever anyone asks about them:)

Jerralea said...

Thank you for showing us glimpses of Spring. I so need that because the landscape around here is gray!

Brenda said...

Oh wow, I would love an avocado freshly picked! Love the brave pink flowers in the street. I wonder how many other people get a pick-me-up just by seeing it when they drive by.

nikkipolani said...

Gorgeous winter fruits - isn't it wonderful to have produce exchanges in February? Love that little snapdragon insisting on blooming in the median.

Elizabeth said...

Here in New York spring seems far off!
Keep warm!

Sharon Lynne said...

I had to smile as I pictured you photographing those flowers in the street.

People probably thought you were a little crazy...

But WE, your blogging buddies, appreciate it. Great shot!

Barbara said...

Pretty bloom in the paving and oh! to have Mandarins fresh from the tree. I'm sure they taste very different to the super market ones.