It's rainy and cold and although there is no use complaining about the weather, I'm really looking forward to Spring's official arrival. Yesterday I heard the sweet trill of the Eastern Meadowlark, which made me stop my bike ride and search in the trees for the the gray and yellow bird. I only saw the blended colors of yellow and gray as the bird flew away... but it made me smile. I've seen numerous robins that travel in packs over the winter, but it's when they pick their nesting territory that they become more solitary and sing as they prepare their nests for those beautiful blue eggs. As for the sparrows, they have been very frisky in the quiet recesses of my front juniper bushes... they will be nesting soon I'm sure of it!
I have also been watching the tips of the daffodils creep up and out of the earth since February and only fretted a little when the last giant snowstorm buried them... they are hardy and will bloom as expected... I have seen it before. I have also monitored the bursting bloom of the little snowdrop flowers that appear even if there is still snow on the ground. They look so fragile but they can withstand the tricky fluctuations of March temperatures. And then there is my one lone crocus that has just bloomed two days ago. I remember planting about 50-60 bulbs several years ago, however the squirrels just love them and they have no remorse as they dig them up and eat them right in front of me. I just know that next year there will be none left (hopefully our house will be sold so I won't miss them).
The surest sign of Spring for me is this almost undefinable sense of excitement as I begin to envision all those comforting images of buzzing bees on flowers, young green buds sprouting from tree branches, fluffy white clouds wafting over clear blue skies that come after the rains... and that first warm day when outerwear becomes obsolete!
