coaxing spring

Spring is a few weeks away on the calendar... but it usually doesn't arrive until late April around here. As the thermometer soared to 60 degrees today, we all decided it was here... at least for a little visit. No jackets... squishy mud... birds calling... There may be more snow, but I'm so grateful for this encouraging reminder that the earth will awaken again... it has begun. To nudge spring along, I cut branches from our forsythia bush last week and brought them inside. I'm coaxing them to bloom early to help us through March... the "almost there!" month. Our outside bush won't burst into yellow flowers until the last week of April. I know this, because each year we make golden crowns from them for May Day. After a week in a jar of water, the tips of the branches are starting to turn green... and unfurl just the tiniest bit. We're watching them each day.
I've never done this so early, but I clearly have Spring Fever. I didn't follow any instructions for forcing my branches... just snipped on a relatively warm day and put them in water. We'll see what happens... I found this nice link for directions if you'd like to try it yourself.
Have a beautiful weekend!