White Fades Into Color

I see white.

Some houses with color, some green trees, some blue sky...and white.

I live in a very cold area; often it isn't above zero. That's right: Zero! It was -2 not too long ago...I've even seen a -9 recently. Fahrenheit! (Maybe it is just me, but I feel most German words should have exclamations following them. I even say "Gesundheit" with a "!" at the end. So if you sneeze I will wish you good health very emphatically and a little harsh.)

I planted tulips last fall. And now I wonder....

will they bloom?

if they do bloom, will I see them?
(There is over a foot of snow where the bulbs were planted.)

if they bloom and come up through the snow, will I just see the flower but not the stem?
(that would look pretty cool, actually.)

My biggest question: When?

When will the snow melt?

When will the last snow fall. Really. (Because it has been known to be a nice warm 4th of July that coaxes children wearing shorts and t-shirts and sundresses to the parade, only to have it snow during the parade, with shivering children walking along.)

When will the last frost date be? If I plant them, will they die?


My eyes yearn for color.

My nose wants to smell fresh grass, earthy soil, fragrant blossoms.

My mouth wants to taste crisp carrots, juicy tomatoes (I eat 'em like apples), peas fresh off the vine.

My fingers want to dig into the earth. I'll wear gloves, sometimes.

My ears...well, they actually like the silence that a blanket of snow brings. Birds are not my favorite sound. I wouldn't mind hearing the ocean's waves hit the shore...but I don't live near the water anymore.

My brain wants the excitement that growing something brings. Creation. Being part of it.

I've got a table of gardening books in front of me; I've got sketches of plans, notes on growth needs and companion plants; I've some seeds that I ordered from an on-line store, waiting to be planted. I have to wait.

Wait for the whiteness to fade into green and brown and hopefully some red and yellow and orange and purple and blue.