We have had a very mild winter here-things are much warmer than usual and it makes me so happy to see the first trees beginning to bloom!

This was taken Feb. 10th

And today, Feb. 15th, it looks like this! I do love this time of year. At first you have to look very carefully to see the swelling leaf buds and the first green bulbs to come up in the garden. But sooner than you think it is all growing and flowering and every where you look you'll see SPRING!
Even though I know it will happen, it still feels like a miracle every year. I feel like Mary did in
The Secret Garden, when things began to come up and she was thrilled to discover that the garden was full of growing green things. I can even hear some relatives of Ben Weatherstaff's robin singing right now.
I'm feeling it in my artwork too. Sort of an unnamed urge to create, to stretch boundaries, to grow into something more. Here are a few close-ups of a recent journal page where this began to show itself.
While my art is often full, this page just wouldn't take "no" for an answer. "More!" it cried. So I kept going, which is why this spread is so jam packed. Sort of like the fullness of spring just can't contain itself, and keeps on growing.
Wishing you a Joyful (yes, I know EARLY) Spring!! And to those of you surrounded by snow-I promise Spring is coming! Hang in there!