Awaiting Spring

I love snow. But, like everyone else, this time of the year I start getting spring fever. I begin to think about all the spring flowers that will start blooming; crocuses first, then daffodils and then tulips. I can't help but smile. I don't know why it is that I love the spring flowers so much. I just do! You know it is going to start getting warmer. We can put our hats and mittens away. We can bring out our spring jackets and spring clothes. It's the flowers, though, that make me the most excited about spring. I think we will have to make another trip up to Holland, Michigan this year around tulip time!

Two of my babies were born in the spring. Interestingly enough, though their birthdates are about three weeks apart, the spring babies, my first and my last, were both born around Easter week. I remember it actually snowed on both birthdates. Spring snows are always a little surprising. My last baby was born in mid-April. I really wasn't expecting to see snow at that time here in Indiana. Just shows you how versatile our Indiana weather is!

I am thinking that we have had so much snow this winter that a lot of people up here in the north are probably suffering with serious spring fever by now. This weekend has been pretty nice. I saw a lot of people making use of the exercise trail near our home this weekend. Who can blame them? Temperatures were in single digits last weekend. How nice to have it be up in the 40's. It was in the 50's on Friday! There were joggers, dog walkers, and just a lot of people who were tired of being "cooped up" out there yesterday. Young ones in strollers, old ones, still bundled against the wind chill, and everything in-between making use of the beautiful day to be out.

Jay and I walked down the three or four blocks into town. (I can never tell you exactly how many blocks it is, because it kind of depends on which route you take. There is Warren street that slants up the hill by where we live and makes it three blocks in some places and four blocks in others.) We walked down to the library. We got some videos and a DVD. (The DVD was "The Ron Clark Story" with Matthew Perry. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!) We walked to the little marketplace that used to be Park Pharmacy. There is a small store within the store where an Amish farmer sells eggs and meats and all sorts of things. We bought brown eggs, $1.50 a dozen. I don't care if the eggs are brown or white. I just like supporting the local farmer. I told Jay that I always feel so thrifty whenever we walk into town to buy things. Gas is just so high right now!

These little "tastes" of spring are kind of like a shot in the arm. The sun shining warm into the enclosed porch on the front of our house is so inviting and welcoming. I know, winter weather can return with a vengeance, and might, even today. That is why everyone was out yesterday taking advantage of the warm weather. We all know that spring has not arrived yet. No! It's still winter here! But we do put hope in the fact that the groundhog did not see his shadow, ( and how could he, it was a freakin' blizzard on  Groundhog Day!), we are looking forward to an early spring. But, thank God in Heaven for these few days when it feels like spring. The snow melts. We can go out for a little bit without our coats and not freeze our tails off! We can breathe without stinging our throats.

It has been a hard winter. But, once again, a lot of us have survived and are looking forward to spring and then the summer that follows. We feel like celebrating all the little harbingers along the way. (I saw a FLOCK of robins last Sunday, a Flock, even while it was still so cold!) So what if I only got to go ski once? Time to look forward to the next thing. Hope springs!