ALLOW ME TO WEAVE a magical photo essay today, to sprinkle fairy dust into your eyes, to transport you from the snowy Minnesota landscape into a place of wondrous beauty and warmth.
If you truly believe, just as Virginia believed in Santa Claus, you will see spring.
Ready? Let’s go.
A little fairy dust in the eyes
and we enter the magical world of spring inside Donahue’s Greenhouse in Faribault.
Here a spell is cast upon winter weary Minnesotans, some of whom load their carts with plants, unable to resist the overpowering pull of flowers in bloom.
Blossoms unfurl, fooled into spring by the warmth of the greenhouse, the rare sunshine which graces this April day.
Gazing into the future, gardeners envision spring
with nesting birds
and soil warm enough to embrace seeds.
They imagine delicate buds unfurling into graceful blossoms,
defying winter in bursts of vibrant hues.
Everywhere, in this magical place, the sweet promise of spring prevails,
except on a shelf where fantasy vanishes in the face of truth.
Spring, my dear Minnesotans, exists only in our dreams.
THIS MORNING WE AWOKE to “a bunch of snow” (my husband’s measurement) here in Faribault, snow which began falling around 4 p.m. Monday and was still coming down when I went to bed around 11 p.m. Snowfall guesstimate would be around six inches. The landscape looks similar to this scene (click here) from last Thursday, except with even more snow. Power lines and trees are frosted with the heavy, wet snow. And for awhile last night, probably less than 15 minutes, the power was off in my neighborhood.
The scene outside my office this morning, dear readers, looks nothing like spring and exactly like winter.
© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Thank you, thank you, thank you — and bless you!
Good morning, Mark, and thank you. I figured we could all use some spring photos this morning.
And now school has been canceled due to snow…..this late in April! We haven’t gotten any of the last snow that you have, but with predictions of 60-70 degrees this weekend, they are expecting the Red River to rise nearly 15 feet in 7 days…..Happy Spring!
I’ve been wondering about the weather situation up there in Ada. Remember when you lived in Kansas and actually wanted/missed snow? Schools around here are starting two hours late today.
Did they have school down there today? I saw that it was canceled, but maybe I read wrong. I am still enjoying the snow, but my tulips aren’t so much….
Yes, school in Faribault was canceled yesterday as well as in Northfield, apparently due to poor road conditions. I think a two-hour late start would have sufficed. But then sometimes I expect it’s a difficult call to make.
Love those pics and am so ready to plant some of those nice flowers in pots on my deck!!! And herbs. But I am waiting……. we got nary a flake last night—I think it all went to Faribault and I am very sorry for you. 😦
Oh, yes, we got plenty of snow here. But Randy told me the temp is supposed to reach around 40 today, meaning some of it should melt. Therefore, and also because I strained my back last week shoveling snow, I am not shoveling today. Randy did not even blow any of the snow before leaving for work. So more work awaits him upon his return from work early this evening.
Oh I think it is going to melt before you guys get to it!! Keeping my fingers crossed!!! I saw it is supposed to be in the high 60’s this weekend which should be wonderful for my first trout fishing trip in Decorah!!! 🙂
My second daughter has a college friend from Decorah and tells me, “You would love it there, Mom.” So can you report back to me on what I would love in Decorah? I didn’t know you are a trout fisherwoman.
Oh Audrey,. the wheelbarrow is full again! I will never get it all out of the yard (it seems) and I am beginning to fear that spring is only an illusion or a dream. We are going to go from full blown winter to mosquito laden summer. There is no such thing as spring this year, no matter how many beautiful flowers we see in nurseries. Do I sound depressed? I am so depressed. The only thing that makes it less depressing is the beautiful sunshine this morning that shows the beauty that mere man cannot duplicate. Smile and enjoy!
Oh, Harriet, I totally, absolutely understand because I feel the same way.
What a Great Way to get a taste of SPRING!!! Beautiful Captures:) Have a Great Day
I just had to escape winter and Donahue’s, being near my house, seemed the ideal setting to do so.
The past few weeks I have been leaving the blinds closed in an attempt to ignore the weather. This past weekend I decided to start planning our family getaways for this summer with the blinds open! We are anxious to stay in the Wadena Treehouse tomorrow evening with our three children. Will and Peggy Line built the treehouse several years ago with the intent to retire there. They have an adult daughter with Downs Syndrome that returned home with them so they no longer were able to stay in the treehouse. They live on the property and now rent it out to dreamers! It’s $150 for the first night and $75 for the second night. It has a kitchen, bathroom, and cable TV but best of all, is the hot tub on the bottom of the ground! We can’t wait to play games with our kids and relax in the hot tub! There are many Amish farms near there as well and I intend to drive a few country roads and follow the road apples to their farms. Hope to pick up a few baked goodies! An escape, although just 1 1/2 hours away from us, is still something out of the ordinary!
Erin, you definitely have the right attitude. I hope the treehouse is heated. This sounds like a really fun adventure and the perfect escape from winter. Have a great time.
Just decided that I was just as tired of the complaints as I was the actual weather! The treehouse is heated, thankfully! They do not have a website, but they have a short You Tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN-Utsn5q_c
Ah, yes, and I am guilty of being a weather whiner. Thanks for the link so readers can check it out. I already did so. This looks like a unique get-away for sure.
Sigh…….what can be said that hasn’t already been said!?! I am so sorry for all the white stuff that once again graces your piece of geography! Your photos present such an “other worldly” concept (by most Midwesterner’s frame of reference at this moment). Another sigh……….yes, 70 by Sunday……..do they (meteorologists) really understand what that does to all of us out here???? So many hopes dashed in the past days and weeks!! I do hope they know to tread carefully and watch their backs!!! Just sayin’ Hugs from a brown ridge to your white “wonderland”(?)………
I hope they are spot on correct with the weekend forecast. I need to get a table stripped and refinished before mid-May. It appears less and less likely that I will be able to accomplish that. The son may be taking a cardtable and folding chairs to his apartment in Rochester.
This all just defies description!!!!!!!
Food for the eyes, Audrey. We had another late start to school today. Didn’t have one the entire winter, nor did we miss any days of class entirely. Then spring came along…
I can beat that. Faribault closed its schools today. And I am so glad I did not shovel. Most of the snow has melted from the sidewalk and driveway. Yeah!
Yes, at least it melts in a hurry in April!! Will Faribault make their kids make up the lost day today?
Honestly, I cannot figure out why school was canceled today instead of starting two hours late. Since I don’t have any kids in school anymore, I really don’t keep up on class days. I think there are X number of snow days built into the calendar and I doubt all have been used. That’s not really an answer, is it?
Can’t believe how beautiful the plants are already at Donahue’s! Not much snow here…maybe a half inch. You KNOW how I feel about that…just a wee bit jealous!
Oh, Jackie, you are one of the few Minnesotans who are NOT tired of this long winter. Gotta appreciate your appreciation for snow. I wish I shared your enthusiasm.
What a great post! Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed this glimpse of spring.