Our spring in winter seems to have reverted back to just winter for now.  So how am I able to find flowers?  By trickery, something you have to work at in winter.  Here are: fragrant hyacinths, a yellow cabbage family flower persisting in the veg garden, crocuses closed back up in the cold, and a delicate chive flower in my “greenhouse”.

My son is back from his latest adventures, and over for the traditional erev meal, work, and hangout, which makes me happy as usual.  Misu is pleased.

It’s been raining and thunderstorming for days, it seems, while temps remain unseasonably warm.  Today may reach 68º.  It’s hard not to turn thoughts to spring gardening.  Pretty soon I’ll be ordering my seeds.

Accordingly, we bought new grow-lights and set them up for germinating veg transplants in coming weeks.  My current plants look a lot happier.

Misu, meanwhile, has been finding ways to amuse herself and us–trying on a new box, watching squirrel tv and cat IMAX, and hanging out with me as I write.

Normally I see lots of ravens congregating right outside my office window (no doubt drawn by all the bones I set out there), but just now a giant pterodactyl-looking thing with a huge wingspan landed right in a tree in our yard.  It looked like a buzzard.  All the ravens were pestering it, and finally it took off across the field, with them in pursuit.  My phone cam couldn’t quite capture a good closeup, but here’s a silhouette, with ravens for size comparison.

Well, I did get out there yesterday and garden somewhat.  I cleaned up the veg bed and raked some manure and mulch onto it.  At least it looks better.  Now if I can just get stuff to grow.

Elsewhere on the property, spring bulbs are shooting up everywhere; it’s going to be an explosion of color come spring, whenever that is.  It’s hard to know anymore.

This is Misu’s favorite channel, streaming live and free all day–Squirrel TV!  Often a whole crowd shows up.  Once in a while, a chipmunk or some bluejays make an appearance.

Not much else happening–we survived the high winds and t-storms last night, with over 1/2″ of rain in a short time.  Other places weren’t so fortunate.  There were many unseasonal tornadoes throughout the south, with some deaths.  There were extreme winds and flooding in much of the country.  Disasters are becoming more frequent and destructive.

Today and tomorrow will be in the 60s.  It seems to be a trend.  I may have to break down and find some gardening to do.

It’s freakishly warm, heading for 77º(!?).  Dark clouds are racing overhead, whirlwinds of leaves are swirling, branches are falling, and thunderstorms are imminent.  The wind may hit gusts over 40 mph, but it looks and sounds like a hurricane brewing.

Just for context, the average weather for this time of year in E. TN is a high of 48º, low of 29º, and some snow, definitely not a tropical rainforest.  Surrounding states have even more freakish, volatile forecasts.  I hope our lucky “eye” continues to hold out.

Misu had the right idea.  I found her like this, buried under the covers!

When I woke up at dawn it was already 67º, and heading for 75°, with a forecast of t-storms and gusts over 40 mph.  The sunrise was duly spectacular, though I haven’t quite mastered my cam’s settings yet.  This weather rollercoaster due to climate change is bizarre.  Remember, it’s winter, and I’m supposed to be hibernating!  Sure, I’ll take warm over freezing anytime, but in its proper season.  I wonder what the natural world makes of it.  We’re already losing major species to extinction as I write.  Too bad they don’t get a vote.

As if 64º isn’t warm enough for you in January, tomorrow is supposed to be (wait for it) 76º!!  I am not making this up.  I’m supposed to be hibernating!  I feel like I should go work outside, but my inner calendar says Sleeep!  So confusing.

Still, it’s better than everywhere else in the country–severe storms, giant hail, tornadoes, torrential downpours, snow, apocalypse, you name it.  We’re like the eye.

Misu has no such worries; she just snoozes, or watches kitty IMAX.

It’s headed for 60º, so it must be… Knoxville in January!  The only gardening to do is some indoor transplanting.  The only plants left to photograph are indoors as well.  Same for animals, aside from that lone mouse who wasn’t long for this world.  It’s too soon to order the first spring seeds for transplants.  I’ve already memorized the seed catalogs.  It’s hard to hibernate when it’s so springlike!  What’s a gardener to do?  A weird problem to have.  Misu says, what problem?

When national/world news keeps degenerating deeper and more dystopian by the minute, what do I turn to for hope?  The plant world, of course!!  That is, as long as it’s allowed to exist.  It’s not looking good for this earth, unless we get this depraved lunatic out.  But in the meantime, back to more mundane, manageable matters.

I’m really grasping for photo subjects.  I think this year’s horticultural goal will be to plant more to include winter/wildlife interest.  This place is so bare and unnatural in winter.  And we don’t get out much, so this is it.  The challenge is to find more in less.  There’s always a new angle.  So here’s yet another view of the kitchen window!  With a new pet hyacinth!  Like I said, grasping.

Now that the junkies are out next door, and the landlord is busy dealing with all the damage and crap they left behind, we can finally begin to venture outside in our own yard without a delinquent audience.  That event right there got the year off to a much better start.  I can visit my baby trees without navigating around lurching drug dealers and their dog crap.  E can walk around the yard without starers and stalkers.  Sometimes just the absence of something is a really big deal.  You think it can’t happen, and then it does.

Just imagine the joyful day when trump is gone.  Just getting back to normality will be a huge relief.  For now, you just breathe in each tiny personal victory as it comes, and don’t lose all hope.  Then, if spring returns again, and you live to see it, that’s a big bonus!