The longest month of the year...

I don't understand how 28 days can seem so long.

Every year, the length of the month of February confounds me. I find it hard to believe that the groundhog knows much about the weather, other than the fact that his underground den is cozier than the "wintry mix" he finds above ground. Smart fellow. We could all learn a little something from him about hunkering down for a few more weeks.

Perhaps it's the ever-so-slight lengthening of the day that gets us through this month. Despite getting more snow this February than we did during the rest of the entire winter, my friends and I have all remarked upon the sun rising earlier and setting just a few minutes later from one week to the next. We keep checking the calendar to confirm the date when the clocks will change, to "spring ahead". We can't see any snowdrops (flowers not precipitation) on the ground, but we suspect they are making their moves underground. It's not yet the end of winter, but I find myself painting more and more flowers... like the snowdrops and crocus bulbs, something is stirring. 

Once all this snow melts, and the only thing that falls from the sky is rain, there will be a lot of cleanup to do. 

I'm making big plans for my studio to be filled with forsythia and dogwood branches, blooming early in tall vases all around me. I can't force spring to come early anywhere else, but from experience I know it will make the wait easier. 

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