Hope for the Spring

Now that we've broken through the historic cold snap that hit most of the US last week, I feel like spring is already here. I know it is unreasonable to start looking for flowers and birds - it is still early February. But when I go outside, I hear birds and see daffodil flower tips popping up! So I obsessively monitor the long-term forecast and predictions for variability in historical trends for local weather patterns.

I know February is usually the dreaded month - that time in school when there are no breaks to look forward to, no community celebrations or bright spots, and for worker cogs, February is the time of year when you leave the house in the dark and come home in the dark with wet, slush-covered shoes.

But it is a short month, and the days are getting longer minute by minute.  My pond ice is melting, and in the morning, I feel like I am fighting to get my walk finished before the rising sun beats me home. All good signs we are heading to early spring.