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.