Although this week has surprised us with normal to below normal temperatures, the previous 2 weeks were actually balmy. Unbelievably, the weather for the middle weeks of March along the north shore of Lake Ontario was more like June with some of the evening temperatures in the +17′ C. (60′ F.) range and a few days at  27′ C.. (80′ F.) We were warmer than many southern U.S. cities!

I couldn’t help myself…..I had to get out in the garden with my rake and remove the many leaves that had been missed last fall. My spring bulbs were having a difficult time emerging from beneath them.  Many of my perennials were also weeks ahead in their development and even thought I feared for their existence if the temperatures were to plummet to below zero, I spent hours clearing away the remnants of our mild winter.

Of course, good things can’t last forever, and 2 days ago I was scurrying around trying to protect some of the more tender specimens with yes, you guessed it, the leaves that I had removed! The last 2 nights, we dropped below freezing!  Here are some of the photos that I took over the past few days.