It's Spring!

Today is the first day of Spring...according to the calendar.  Here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we don't pay attention to that.  Spring comes to the UP much later for us.  We are happy when it shows up before May and sometimes we wonder if it will show up at all.

This year, we had what we call a mild winter.  Not very many major snowstorms, we are well below our number of feet of snow accumulation and we did not have our usual St. Patrick's Day storm.  It seems that all the bad weather has gone south of us and headed for the northeast.  I don't like winter so having it milder than most is a plus.  However, it also makes me long for spring.  I want the snow to melt and the grass start to turn green, I want to see the buds appear on the maple trees and the shoots of new flowers start to poke their heads out of the earth.  I want to open all the windows in my house and let the fresh, crisp air of spring chase away the confining air of winter.  I want to put my birdfeeders out and watch the visitors of spring come back...the squirrels, chipmunks, birds, raccoons and rabbits.  I long to sit on my deck with my morning coffee and take in the silence and warmth of a spring morning. In short, I want spring and I want it now!