First signs of spring... before ringing in the New Year

It's an interesting phenomenon, winter on Vancouver Island. The six weeks of wet, heavy, slippery snow we experienced last year was "unusual" (or so everyone told me). My two inaugural winters here were both snowy and I was starting to wonder if Jeff's pre-engagement promise of a nearly snow-free life was a strategy to lure me westward.

This year, we seem to be experiencing a "normal" Vancouver Island winter. It's all right, because it seems that "normal" means that my spring bulbs are popping up before the New Year is rung in. Who knew that was possible within a Canadian winter?!