Strangely Cathartic

 I wasn't sure if I was going to like it when I  followed Martha's instructions on leaving fall foliage in order to create winter interest above the snow.  I typically like to have things all tidied up in the fall so that I do not have to worry about it again.  I must say that we enjoyed having the added texture in our winter landscape.  With spring so incredibly slow to start this year, I have been itching to get outside; and now all of that lovely "interest" has been driving me absolutely bonkers.  So this afternoon, when the sky became blue and the sun was shining (despite the weather channel saying that at that moment there was an 80% chance for rain), I grabbed by biggest pruners and off I went. 

Let me tell you, there is another benefit to leaving all of the "dead heading" until the spring.  You do not need the above mentioned pruners to get the job done.  Everything is so dried out it just breaks off nicely at the ground.  There is something strangely cathartic about getting on your hands and knees and literally ripping out winter and revealing all of the lovely bits of spring that are resting beneath what was once winter interest.