I'm with you. For me here in Canada the dream destination would be southern British Columbia.

I don't know, really, but I certainly can sympathize about being sick of snow: last winter we had that white stuff on the ground through most of the winter, and our last Tea-rose-smashing snowfall was March 18th. Yuck. This year we're setting records for rain.
You might take a look at Oregon.
Spring IS coming.
Melissa

I have a better idea. Come out here to eastern Crete.
We have 4 distinct seasons and the winter is definitely short.
Not a lot of pests or diseases (apart from the mealy bug which has been driving me mad the past two summers).
Very friendly people and a laid back sort of life.
I have just popped outside to take some photos of the view from my village this morning.
What do you think?
Daisy

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Daisy, you forgot to mention the raki. But cmon, there's no winter in the proper sense of the word in Crete!
Nik

Daisyâ¦Be still my heart!!!! Those pictures are beautiful. I live in Louisville,KY. The Bluegrass state, fast horses and beautiful bourbon!!!! But this winter has been a hard one, for sure. Might have to consider Crete! What is a raki? Lesley

Lesley, raki is the local cure-all-your-sorrows clear liquid. Doubles as dentist's anesthetic and pruner disinfectant.
Nik

Here is a link that might be useful: Raki a.k.a tsikoudia

This post was edited by nikthegreek on Tue, Mar 4, 14 at 8:38

Hey Nikâ¦your clear raki and my brown bourbon seem about the same! I must admit that I have yet to disinfect my pruners with my Woodford Reserve! Ha! Thanks for the link and info. Lesley

Daisy, does Crete have room for the population explosion that you have surely stimulated? Beautiful!

Daisy- Oh my gosh! Those are beautiful :)

I studied Minoan culture a bit in college and I've always loved Crete...but I don't know that I could easily move the horses over there. Maybe when I retire! LOL

Susanne- I love Victoria and Vancouver. I hope to visit again soon (it's been years) so clean and prettier than Seattle...IMHO :)

Melissa- I thought about Oregon...I think I need to take a few road trips!

Nanadoll- I couldn't leave the trees! But the warmer weather does sound nice.

Lesmc- I was in Bowling Green, Kentucky years ago, to visit my Uncle...beautiful area!

Nik- Raki sounds interesting...especially with the rosemary or honey.

I can't move to Crete, but WOW! Can I come for a visit? Field trip anyone?!

We moved from Pittsburgh to south of Nashville, and it has been amazing! We don't get hardly any snow , it does get cold for sure but not the hard frozen rock solid ground in pa. Petite daffodils are already blooming and spring is definitely on the horizon ! The people are beyond kind and I love the southern hospitality . I always felt growing up that I belonged in the south, and I felt at home here immediately!
My only complaint might be the sticky clay soil and the bugs I had to get used to. But after almost 2 years I feel like I've been here forever and I honestly never want to leave!
Also gorgeousness everywhere! Beautiful countryside , and I love the old barns scattered about .
Let beautiful Tennessee be on your tour of possible locations ! :) ( even if u are just daydreaming! )

Just now I don't want to live anywhere else than here in the middle of Sweden (but that might change at once if we should get a cold snap). Spring is between one and two months earlier than usual this year and we never had much winter at all.

It's so strange to have had no snow that I haven't been able to adjust mentally and start the spring work in the garden. Normally the ground would be frozen but digging and weeding is easy now. I have started pruning climbers and old roses but I'm reluctant to start pruning the moderns if there should be a backlash.

mmmmm, the only thing with a snowless and mild winter are the VAST numbers of cutworms, sawfly, shieldbugs, harlequins and molluscs, lurking around in readiness to strike. Fiddling around with my wallflowers, I almost fell over on discovering the literally millions of pests, nestling in the leafage. I am dreading the harlequin invasion and no longer feel any desire to avoid ritual bug squishing where these cannibalistic little monsters are concerned. I fear we are in for a summer being overrun with nasties. I would have vastly preferred a good few killing frosts at the very least.....instead we have all the conditions for an absolute holocaust of pest and diseases.
The mosquitoes and midges are already active in the woods and we had to get the bloody jungle formula out, even though I was still wearing 2 pairs of socks!

Tired of the cold, tired of the snow, tired of shoveling, just plain tired! Board and housebound with a bad case of cabin fever. I want to see bare dirt with little green tips popping up and at least the hope of spring! But I don't think I could move away from the lakes. They sort of get into you blood when you've grown up here. I'd miss all the greenness and water everywhere. Besides, when I listen to the weather channel I realize that there isn't any place that doesn't have its own set of weather issues. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...until you get there, lol!

I agree, Seil! Although the other side of the fence is just more snow, up here anyway, LOL. I love Michigan and I love winter; it's just that this one has been a bit, ah, over-done shall we say. I won't be sorry to see it all melt, as I am really quite tired of the height of the snowbanks and the severity of the below zero temperatures we've had, but I know come next November I won't be sorry to see white flakes falling from the sky again.
Still, you know the area has had too much snowfall when all the neighborhood dogs are driving their owners to distraction by running about loose because they can just step over the tops of their backyard fences (mine included!)

Camps,

Just be extra careful now that tha grass will be getting taller, what with all this large property and the midgets...
Nik

Here is a link that might be useful: Man gets lost in his backyard

This post was edited by nikthegreek on Thu, Mar 6, 14 at 1:29

Couldn't agree with you more. Its depressing, we got more snow last week. So tired of the white menace that I didn't even try to shovel. I figure if my car can get thru it, then why bother and there was the fact that its was barely 10 degrees outside. I'm beginning to think, spring is never going to come.

Daisy,
Crete is now on my list of places to visit. What a lovely view for snow tired eyes.

mori,

The image linked to below is from Crete, believe it or not..
Nik

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:241330}}

This post was edited by nikthegreek on Thu, Mar 6, 14 at 13:54

I think spring is about to strangle winter and push the remains aside. We woke to over an inch of snow on the ground, with lots more falling. By sunset it was over 50 degrees, sunny and dry. Gives me whiplash. Of course, the ten-day forecast predicts snow next week...

The winter aconite began blooming today. Yes Virginia, there is a Spring.

Cath

I think we'll stay in eastern Washington...at least for now. Maybe finding a level piece of property would help! I'm so tired of walking uphill all the time. Yes, I do occasionally get to walk downhill...but that' mostly sliding down icy paths.

I do love snow...but not in March. Today is sunny and supposed to be 50 degrees. I even saw a few Canadian geese down by the creek. I will miss that...but not the muddy path the horses have to take because of it.

And it is true...winter does take care of a lot of pests! We don't have many at all out here and I'm hoping if we stay in the general area (just a bit closer to town) we won't have them either. No Japanese beetle or RRD yet...and those little tomato horn worms turn into hummingbird moths, right? I love those, so I don't squish the worms. No problem with tomatoes so far...but they usually freeze before they ripen :)

Hang in there, Lavender! PDX just south of you has finally sprung into spring.

Daisy, OMG! Do places like Crete exist outside of fairy tales?

Carol

We just got a foot of snow last night. I'm so tired of winter and snow. I think when I retire I want to move someplace warmer with mild winters. Though I'm so entrenched on the east coast -- Crete looks lovely to visit but too far from dear friends and relatives. Any suggestions for places along the south eastern U.S.?

There is HOPE!!!!

I saw bare dirt and little tips of bulbs pushing up today!

Seil, don't you just love the determination of those bulbs. One of my favorite things to see in the garden

I once read of a daffodil that pierced through the black asphalt of a parking lot. Determined indeed.

Cath

I must be lucky since I lived in southern British Columbia for five years (except for a short stint in Prince George), stayed in Idaho for a while and now live in southern California which looks remarkably similar to Daisy's pictures of Greece. Except for a while in early summer when we have small flies, there are almost none otherwise and also no mosquitoes or other nasties. Of course now the drought is a forever-looming worry but apparently there's hope of a wet winter next year. Yes, no place is perfect but I'm allergic to snow and the cold, so I could do much worse than live here. The bugs that camp mentions sound horrific since every single one gravitates toward me, as I know from hiking in the Sierras in the summer.

Ingrid

It hit 83 here today. No snow, but no rain, either :-(

This IS the desert, but it's been a droughty desert the past 3 years. Oh, well, guess I'll cheer myself up outside looking at the peach blooms & daffodils, yukyuk :-p. A little Rufus crowned sparrow couple already have chicks on the back porch.

Wow, Crete is lovely!