This is February, Right??

I was lured out of the studio today by the sparkling water of the bay and the siren song of an Americano down at Woods. It's possible I'll regret my decision tonight when I try to get caught up on the work I planned to get to earlier.

But I doubt it.

The weather here has been a little out of the ordinary lately. We've had sunshine and temperatures above 50˚, something normally reserved for much later in the year... Usually we're luck to have the crocus peaking through the partly frozen ground in February. Perhaps we might be welcoming the whites and pinks of heather by now.


But not this year...




This year the purple, yellow, lavender stripe and white varieties have bloomed both lushly and early.


And the pinks and whites have exploded in the blossoming trees, again months ahead of schedule, to our continuing delight.







And even the bees are busy enjoying the early arrivals.



My neighbor, Gil, who grows day lilies from seed later in the year has azalia bushes blooming in the reoccurring theme of pink and white. But his front door is adorned with a lovely bush, covered with these extravagant and exotic blooms.

I went down to Gil's yard to cut a few forsythia branches to force into blooming inside and was hard pressed to find any in the bud stage...




Even the dandelions had returned to dot the lawn of a neighbor down the road. They made me smile.

I enjoyed an hour cleaning out the remains of winter winds from a flower bed and eradicating the encroaching weeds out front.






No, I do not regret in the least that to be merely beginning my studio time as the sun paints the bay. I begin my own painting late, but inspired.


Hope you enjoyed today as well.