January Deep Freeze

 We've had arctic temperatures in my hometown for a week.  

My teeth are chattering as I type this.  I just turned up the heat (shiver).

There's only one thing to do (buying a hot tub is not in the budget).  It's time to whip out the kryptonite.  

That's right, sunny flower photos from summers gone by.  

Take that, Jack Frost.  

Looking at sun dappled flowers gives me hope that the bitter cold will come to an end at some point.  

Hot sunny days are just around the corner (around the corners of February, March and April).  We can do this!      

"The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination". ~Terri Guillemets.  

My imagination is working over time this week.  

What I'm really craving is... GREEN.  

The white of winter is elegant/frosty/beautiful in its own right, but.... 

... the green of summer calms my soul.    
 

Maybe I should start making a list of "must have" flowers & herbs for this summer.  

I forgot to buy "lemon gems" (tiny marigolds that smell terrific!) last summer, which really bugged me.  I missed touching them and smelling their lemony scent.   

Dahlias will definitely be on my list. 

Yes, dahlias... in several colors. 

Finding seemingly odd containers is always a pleasurable challenge.     

Commercial break:  I just danced in the kitchen w/my daughter to the song Please Mr. Postman by the Carpenters.  Just had to.  Blame Sadie.   

In case you're wondering, gangnam style works with this song.  Whew, that's a relief.     

Butterfly flower and Nasturiums will be on the list.
  

It's always fun to buy something new & different that you've never grown before. 

"Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat". ~Author Unknown

The bright orange viola (above) is therapy on these cold days.  It's my kryptonite.   

And, this green... it makes me excited to get outside and mow the lawn with the sun shining down in approval.  The smell of cut grass... aahhh.   

 In the meantime, while we sip hot tea, pull on the throw blanket while reading a good book or watching tv, and turn up the heat, keep this in mind....

 One kind word can warm three winter months. ~Japanese Proverb

 So long January.  It's been real.  It's been fun.  But, it hasn't been real fun.  Brrrrrr!