February is always a hard month, but this year has been a little tougher than others. My husband and I have each had non-life-threatening medical problems (covid for me and joint replacement for him), both dogs have injured their legs, and major snow storms for each of the past three weeks, have all begun to wear on my natural optimism.

This week I’ve finally had that wonderful confluence of enough time and returning energy to take the poor housebound dogs for a walk. There was still plenty of ice on the sidewalks as the drifts of snow melt off.

But there was also a little bit of green beneath the snow…

And a few birds are beginning to practice their mating calls…

You know that I’m ready for warmer temperatures when even the hammering of flickers on the outside of the house lifts my spirits.