There have been many years when I've seen forsythia blooming in early February or even late January. But the beginning of December? Yes, I saw forsythia blooming just around the corner from my house. Not a lot of bloms, but it's sprinkled throughout the bush. That didn't bother me too bad until I came home one day and saw the site pictured on the left.

It might be hard to tell from the picture, but this is a picture of the beginnings of freesia peeking up from the ground. I fell in love with the flowers when I studied in England during college, and saw the bulbs at Lowes this fall. I've never grown it, and in fact never known anyone who grew it. But the bulbs were so tempting that I bought a pack to experiment with. I planted them in October, and didn't think about them again. Until I came home the other day and saw them starting to sprout already. At first I panicked. What will happen? Sure, it's been a rather mild winter so far, but I know we're in for some cold days before spring arrives. Will those little shoots completely freeze? Will it mean I won't have any freesia flowers to cut next spring like I'd dreamed of? Will it harm the bulbs for good, or only just for this year, if it harms them at all?

I worried a lot about it. But only for a few minutes. Then I remembered the resiliancy of plants and many things in nature. Sure, we've had some rather frigid winters the past two years, with lots of snow days for the kids and daffodils actually waiting to come up and bloom until March. But it's not always that way. The first three years we lived in Elkin we didn't even see snow. And sometimes there's a warm spell in February that entices all of the Bradford pears to bloom, only to be struck by cold one more time. Yet they somehow survive to bloom again the next year. So I've decided to just enjoy the mild winter. It's afforded me the opportunity to play outside with the kids and the dog more than usual for this time of year. And if it means I have to wait another year for freesia, so be it.