Springing Forth

I saw this comic earlier, and thought about posting it, but I've already posted a few and don't want to use too many from the same source. It's like a privilege I don't want to abuse. But E.B. Misfit, one of my favoritest bloggers, has posted it, so if you'd do me a favor and run over and take a look at it, I'll wait a minute.

No, I'm still here. Go look. I'll wait. I promise.

Funny, Hunh?

Ooooo, I just love making people envious... I had to walk down to the orange market (not its real name) to get some tobacco this morning, and these are in a yard across the street. Those are snowdrops- or at least that's what I grew up calling them. They would come up in late Feb to early March back in Ohio, often, as the name implies, poking up through the snow. I actually noticed these last week, but it was night and I didn't have my camera with me anyway- so these have probably been blooming for a week or so.
A closer picture. Note the standard "north side" lawn here: always green, never needs mowing. Moss is a far superior ground cover to grass, unless you actually want to do anything on your lawn. I don't know what the following plant is called, but I think it's related to the eastern Jack-in-the-pulpit. The leaves are similar, but variegated. It's always some of the earliest significant foliage to pop up, and the foliage dies back by the end of June. It sometimes sets seeds, and the seeding stalk is very similar to that of Jack-in-the-pulpit. That's the main reason I think they're related. The flower must be very subtle (unlike "Jack," which is quite showey); I've never noticed the blooms.

And just to take the edge off my gloating... no more than two minutes after I took these pictures, the heavens opened up and covered the ground with ice pellets- not deep, but completely covered. Those stinkers can sting! But at any rate, I'm pleased to report that the first spring flowers have officially been spotted in my neighborhood.