Where my driveway meets the street, a spectacular amount of snow piles up from  multiple directions of plowing. I took advantage of the heap to build a Snow Woman. She was much appreciated by the determined Michiganders who take their walks down my street in any kind of weather. How could winter be a problem in a state shaped like a mitten?

When it warmed up a few days ago, I realized I’d better move fast if I wanted to make any snow ice cream. The snow has to be deep enough that you can brush off the top layer and get a good bowlful without touching underlying dirt. My deck is on the north side of the house, so snow on the table there perseveres in glory, even after grass is peeking through on the south-facing lawn. I spooned up three scoops of snow, took it inside, and added a nice pour of Michigan maple syrup. In New England the syrup would be boiled down so when it hit the snow, it would solidify into candy. But straight from the bottle, syrup on snow yields ice cream, or at least a maple sno-cone. That’s what I like.

And I was not a moment too soon doing it, because the snow continues to recede, and now the hellebores, living up to their other name – Lenten Rose – are nosing up to bridge the winter-spring gap. Seeds I ordered keep arriving in the mail. My amaryllis, potted up and beginning to bloom, lean into the window with its view of melting snow.

It’s sad to lose the sparkling snow, but after seeing flowers replace it, year after year, I have a great deal of trust that the flowers will come through again.