Almost Spring

   I know it's not really spring, but it feels like spring, and I love it!  
Here's the view from our back yard:

Here's a view  from the front yard:

    I love having Timp covered with snow and daffodils coming up at the same time.  For that matter, I love having a foot of snow dumped on us one day and watching it all disappear before my eyes.  I love having it smell like spring, even on the stormy days.  I love not wearing a coat  when it's all of 45 degrees out.  I love the anticipation of wondering which, if any, of the things we planted last year will actually survive. (Going by our record, it won't be many.)  I love knowing that the worst weather is over for another year, and that the winter snow provides the water for everything that lives.

  I love spring because it reminds me of my blessings.  No matter how many times I get dumped on, the snow eventually melts and things get better.    There are always unexpected bits of color even when things look drab.  If I look for them, there are new, fresh sights, smells and sounds.  At least some of my faculties that seem dormant are going to wake up.  And even the worst storms provide the moisture of increased wisdom, empathy and gratitude.

Spring

Now that it's officially summer, I want to rhapsodize about spring. I love seeing crocuses poke through the snow; going without a coat because it's 45 degrees out; smelling the rain. My favorite part of spring is it's unexpectedness. It's hot one day,back to winter the next. Wind springs up at a moment's notice. Our rose bushes were green with leaves one day and overnight became a riot of color. 

Our weeping flowering cherry tree looks like Cousin ITT from the Addams Family.

Our window box is growing a troll.

Everywhere you look, some unexpected new growth appears.

I love the unexpectedness of people too. It makes life more fun. My husband, trained as a classical clarinetist, enjoys country music. My three-year old, very girly granddaughter loves potty humor. A friend makes me stop and look at things in new ways and marvel at how her mind works.  My mechanic brother crochets in his spare time. 
       Cheiko Okazaki once said, "If we both though alike, one of us would be unneccessary." I have that posted in my house.   Just as spring is good for the soul after a long winter, so is the quirkiness that makes each of us human.