I know its January, but ...

I've just this past week managed to get the Christmas decorations down and dried out ... we're having a bit of a soggy new year so far.  So color me surprised to see signs of Spring in my yard.  I had been out watching out for Bruce as he climbed on top of our roof to clean out the gutters.  The service we hired in the autumn did only a half-assed job so there we were ... out on day sandwiched in between rainshowers.  My job was simply to watch out for Bruce, so I managed to get in a bit of garden gawking as well.  Also, I discovered that my husband can move over the roof almost as fast as a squirrel can scamper.

This is Camillia Japonica, sometimes called the Rose of Winter.  Although its the official state flower of Alabama, its equally at home in my yard, nestled among the cedar hedge.  It shouldn't be there, but it would be just too difficult to move anymore, so they've got to make peace with each other.  You can see that there is a bit of dark blight on the leaves that I'll ask Dorothy about when she and Dad visit in a few weeks.  I'm kind of excited about their visit.

They look a lot like pussy willows right now, but these branches will flower out before they leaf out. Seems a bit backwards, but the show is nice in early spring.  These buds will look like this for a while, I've learned.

I've no idea what these are, but they live beside my door, trapped in a flower bed where they can't take over the world, which is apparently their wont.   They are generally the first teeny tiny flowers of spring, but if it weren't for their smell, you might miss them.  Without being overpowering, the smell can literally stop you in your tracks and make you look around to see what could be doing that.  That's when you notice the flowers.

And lastly, its the time when you begin to see this more often in your garden.  This doe was busy chomping away on the neighbor's cedars (which are wrapped in deer fencing that does nothing to deter them) until I chased her across the street where she munched her way through the undergrowth.

And to my brother Kelly .. happy birthday bro.  I know it was yesterday .. I sent you an email too :)  To Ilana ... hope your birthday tomorrow is fantastic!