Waiting for Spring!

February makes a gardener itch to get out and garden.
It's hard to wait for the last frost and many a small vegetable plant started indoors by seed has been planted outside only to be nipped by the frost.
While living up north a sure sign that Spring was on its way was when the Pussy Willows started to bud.
My fondest memory of them was when I went out in early spring, with rubber boots, shears in hand and a 3 month old strapped to my back (bundled up) , to cut stems of pussy willows. They were then wrapped in bunches of 10 and off to the supplier I would go to sell them for the spring season of cut flowers . I made $100 bucks that season at $1 a bunch.
When I was very young my mother instilled in me this search for signs of spring in the pussy willows when we were driving down country roads. A fresh cut bouquet of stems in a vase brought home seemed to help wait out the last few weeks of cold before spring finally decided to stay.
Here in Texas I have not found them growing any where because they need the colder temperatures. I did find a source this past week and Blumenflor has bunches of cut Pussy willows out at the greenhouse.
It has helped my "itch" for waiting for spring to get here.