first flowers

As I walked in the rain this morning I kept my eyes out for early flowers.

I was rewarded with a patch of just opening snowdrops, a sure sign of spring.

photos! spring bulb show at Smith College

Tuesday's visit to the 2025 Spring Bulb Show at the Botanic Garden of Smith College was a delight!

It allowed me to jump forward to spring, to walk through a greenhouse bursting with the bright colors of tulips and daffodils.

Click here to wander through photos in the gallery spring flowers at Smith College :: 2026.

a drive to flowers

Today I headed west to visit the Spring Bulb Show at Smith College in Northampton, MA.

Two greenhouses filled with bright spring flowers - tulips, daffodils, freesia, and more - provided an early view of the season. Delightful!

listen...

Listen... can you hear the music of the ocean?

It was a perfect morning to walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. The boardwalks to the beach were mostly clear; only a few sections of boardwalk were covered with compacted snow and ice.

It felt wonderful to be on the beach, sharing it with a few people and a lot of birds.

melting

The air is warmer, snow is compacting, ice is melting.

I welcome this week's warmer days as a taste of early spring.

ice

Meteorological spring brings mixed conditions. Yesterday the weather wizard brought us 3 inches of snow followed by freezing rain. Today she promises spring-like temperatures.

This morning everything wore a coating of ice.

by the river

Warm(ish) air pulled me close to the coast this afternoon.

It was a good day to walk along the Merrimack River in Newburyport, looking across the water to Plum Island, watching and listening to sea birds.

overnight white

A bit of snow fell last night, decorating tree branches with a layer of white.

on a wall

I approached my volunteer stint at Uncommon Threads by a different direction today. That was lucky; it allowed me to see a new mural on Island Parkside, an apartment building in Lawrence, MA.

Seeing new development in this area is wonderful.

on the coast

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge was my afternoon destination today. While the ocean has cleaned the beach below the high tide line, there is a lot of snow in the refuge.

It's beautiful.

snow before cold

It was 19 degrees and snowing as I walked this morning. I'm sure that temperature will seem warm as compared with tomorrow's predicted deep freeze. While the snow continues to fall the light appears to be getting brighter; maybe the sun will break through.

I am very lucky to live next to a small college campus. The roads and sidewalks are kept clear for the students - and, I think, for me!

a pair of Canada Goose resting in the snow

dreaming

Brrr... it's cold outside! I know, it's January and it's supposed to be cold. Even knowing that, I am ready for a bit of warmth and color.

Luckily I received an email from the Botanic Garden of Smith College this week with the dates for the 2026 spring bulb show. It's scheduled for March 7 - 22. That means I only need to get through another month of winter before I can get a quick color and flower fix.

To help with the dream, here is a glimpse of color from last's years show.

cold & snow

Winter is a real season this year. While the last few winters have been fairly mild, this one is making up for it. The temperature has been cold and snow fell continuously yesterday leaving about 18 white inches on the ground.

Today's walk was slower than usual since I needed to avoid patches of ice beneath the snow. I feel very lucky to live next to a small college campus; both the roads and the sidewalks were clear.

falling snow

Heavy snow started falling this afternoon.

It covers the ground; it clings to trees, to branches, to the dry remnants of plants.

melting ice

The forecast tells me that today is the last day of melting ice; cold returns tomorrow.

I took advantage of the January thaw to walk in Harold Parker State Forest this afternoon. Most of the ponds contain ice with occasional pools of water.

low tide

Reasonable temperatures for a winter day drew me to the coast today for a low tide walk in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

My walk was awesome even though I ended it with very wet feet. While I'm usually more careful on winter walks a combination of a warmish temperature and wool socks kept me comfortable.

warmer

The weather wizard has gifted us with a few warmer days.

While the snow is slowly disappearing, trails in the woods are too slippery for safe walking and ponds still wear ice. Even with these conditions the warmer air feels good!

late day light

As the sun starts to set the sky changes color, highlighting trees that stand across a frozen pond.