Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Surprised By Spring Part 2

Have you ever learned a new word and then immediately noticed that the very word you didn’t know a week ago is being used all the time now?  Clearly, the word was being used by others before it was learned by us and it just took us stopping to notice the word once before we really noticed it at all.  That's how this spring feels to me.  Four days ago I didn't think spring was anywhere close and then I turned a corner and came face-to-face with a tree draped in pink blooms.  And now I'm seeing signs of spring everywhere. 

In my own front yard, the daffodils have emerged.





And the hydrangeas, still adorned with last year's dried blooms, are pushing out leaves.  It's days like today when I am thankful to live where I live.



Spring has come and I am going to enjoy this penultimate month in my house before we move.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Surprised by Spring

Sometimes you can sense it coming.  Sometimes you notice when the daffodil stalks break through the ground.  Sometimes you see buds swelling on a tree that has been dormant so long you can't quite remember what it looked like with leaves.  Sometimes you just notice the warmth of the sun on your face and you remember what heat feels like.

But sometimes, the coming of spring surprises you.  Sometimes you don't notice spring bulbs or swelling buds.  And sometimes, on a cloudy day in February, it is hard to remember the warmth of the sun.  But then you turn a corner and see something like this:


And you know that whether you noticed it or not, spring is coming.