Spring is drawing near (I think...)

So next week is technically the first week of spring according to the calendar hanging on the side of my refrigerator.  The threat of a big snowfall last week scared us just enough to doubt spring's arrival.  Luckily, it missed us and left it's mark on our dear family in New England!  But here, South of the Mason-Dixon Line, this weekend saw sunshine and 60 degrees, so again I am hopeful.

Kate and Josh went out on a walk Saturday and breathed in the sweet fresh air.   I love that they have these little treasures of adventure together.  I hope when Kate looks back on her childhood she will remember days like this with her Daddy!

Spring has finally arrived!

Well, I've been looking hard at the leaf piles in the back yard for the last several weeks now looking for any signs of emerging turtles. The weather around here has been anything but predictable, and yesterday started out as a really wet, rainy day, but the afternoon was sunny and warm. With the spring rains, I figured that I'd see Emily, my only remaining turtle sometime soon. I finally spotted her and managed to get a couple of pictures. The top picture is kind of a "Where's Waldo" kind of shot, but the second picture is a close-up. It makes me really happy to see the turtles, and I can only hope that Amos and Otis (where ever they are) came out of hibernation in fine shape.

Spring is in the air - Finally!!

I feel like I've been locked away inside the house with the baby all winter long. So the arrival of spring is even more exciting this year! On Thursday Kate and I took our first springtime walk with little friends Jack and Ella and their mom, Teah. I am looking forward to more walks for the little one and me. I've always loved spring! It was the season Josh and I got married. It is the awakening of nature. The colors are vibrant. The air is crisp but the sun is warm; it's a welcome change from the dreary winter.

I was introduced to this poem in college by William Wordsworth. It's simple, but the imagery of daffodils dancing comes to my mind every time I drive by rows of yellow flowers bending in the March wind.

"Daffodils"
I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced;

but they out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

~William Wordsworth (1804)

In anticipation of spring's arrival here are a few visions of spring that bring me much joy.

I love the first hints of bright green that announce the awakening of the trees. I search for the lime hints as I drive around town. When I do see this brilliant color poking out of barren branches and my heart leaps with excitement. Spring is coming!

Tulips have always been my favorite flower. April boasts of beds and beds of vibrant colored tulips! Spring has begun.

And this is one of my favorite celebrations of spring! The beauty of the tidal basin in Washington, D.C. is breathtaking. Cherry Blossoms surround the entire area and announce in a loud jubilant voice that spring has arrived.

It is here - finally.