Steve got it right. I'm in the southeastern corner of Washington State, near the Columbia River. On a clear day I have a "sliver of the river" view from my front windows. Contrary to the popular image, this part of Washington gets little rain, only 7-8 inches a year here. Thank goodness for reliable wells and irrigation canals!
Still, end of January is quite early for these signs of spring. We had a long fall, and winter has been relatively mild, so I have hopes that an early spring is on its way.
I'm in the same area as Smiles, so we are getting a taste of spring, which will be ripped away again come Thursday. 63 is the forecast high on Weds, and 30 is the high on Thurs.
We've had some really nice weather here but none of the "signs" are here yet The grass hasn't started to green and there are no buds or leaves or shoots yet, but winter seems to be on its (mostly) way out. We've had several nights where the chicken's water didn't freeze, so I take that as a good sign. My seed orders are starting to come in and I've been thinking there are a few I need to get started in the next week or two for transplanting later on. Plus all of the last little snow we had has melted off. We sure had a dry winter though...I'm thinking one of the first things we're going to need to do, and soon, is get some water laid down.
I was on a jobsite working outside last Wednesday morning and saw about 20 robins sitting on a power line. I pointed them out to my co-worker and we both decided they were frozen to the wire. It was 9F. Of course they weren't frozen there, but seeing them was a shock. We won't see daffodils for a couple of months yet. I will be starting seeds soon though...my nemesis...celery.
Not to brag or anything, but I've got robins! Of course, around my area, that doesn't mean too much since we have 'em here almost year-round.
I've always joked that I'd like to have 6 months of October, and I think this year, I got my wish. It's been waaaay too fallish for words, which makes me really worry about late February and March. But it has been good for getting things done outside...which is really good, because we are about to join the ranks of the rabbit people! (To go with the chickens, the horses and all my greenie-growies )
You know I've had roses all winter? They never open fully because the rain matts them, but they keep throwing up new buds just the same. You have made me so anxious to get out and scour the grounds for signs of life.