Snow moon and pussy willows

In the mornings we've been scraping ice off the windshield, but by afternoon the days are sunny and warm. Driving home yesterday from the museum my car thermometer read 60 degrees which is pretty amazing for early February. I was watching for the first flowering trees on our street-- in a city of micro climates this neighborhood is sometimes called the banana belt of Seattle. Today is the first cloudy day in a week, which is kind of like waking up from a dream.

The black pussy willows are one of the first signs of spring in our yard. When I took Nova out to see them, she wanted to "pet the kitties" exactly like her mommy used to say. Sometimes I actually forget who I'm holding in my arms. Grandchildren have a way of compressing the years into minutes. Tom and Nova are making the long drive back to the Methow Valley today, so we'll have to say our sad bye-byes (for now.)