Growin' in winter

We're in the depths of winter, with flooding rivers, nightly rains, and frequent windstorms. Yet as if to prove we're really in the Northwest, our crocuses (croci?) are up. Not as vigourous as last year, but I did thin them and move them around a bit.

There's a bunch of other stuff making an appearance as well: daffodil blooms are starting to form on top of their foliage, oregano is breaking through the surface, the patch of dirt containing the new chives I bought in the fall has a little green stubble, the third year of garlic (selected for size from last year's batch) is six inches tall. But still, it's the depth of winter.

Bad news for the neighbor: a huge street tree had a big white X painted on it recently. Lydia's a bit depressed because it means even more sun for our yard. I was torn, as it means more sun for my tomatoes.