Spring dreaming

Days like today make me think about my garden. Not that I spent any time outside in the daylight hours; but something about the drenching rain beating on the flat roof of my office, and the grayness of the day, and the relative warmth (40+ degrees, woohoo!) makes me think spring is coming. Experience tells me otherwise: it's only february, after all, and there are many winter days before we have any true spring weather. I know that, but I just can't help thinking about planting things, and seeing all my plants come back to life.
This winter I tried my hand at starting clippings-I used my Thanksgiving cactus to start a number of Christmas gifts. The plant was my grandmother's; she passed away 10 years ago; and this plant has survived my moving it out of state, moving back into state, moving across town, and generally, all kinds of neglect. But it blooms twice a year anyway and reminds me of my grandmother and looks pretty happy most of the time. So I was very happy to have success in starting my little clippings: all 26 survived (well, they survived my house...I can't speak to what's happened to them at the homes of my cousins and sisters and aunts and uncles and nieces etc...)
But that kind of planting just isn't the same as starting bulbs or seeds or even planting bushes and trees. Maybe it's the smell of the soil and spring blossoming in general, or the fresh air, or the physical labor, but it's more fun outside. I've been greedily searching the garden catalogs for the perfect plant. I don't actually have a particular place in the yard to fill but I definitely have some ideas! More to come on my spring planting plans...