My Favorite Day of the Year

By 1:26 pm today, Spring will have officially arrived, even if in name only. This is truly my favorite day of the year. I don't know if it means that much to those of you in milder climes, but here in the Midwest it represents all that is hopeful, beautiful and good. The sky may be overcast, as it is here today, and the air may remain chilly for weeks to come, as it is today, but we know beyond all doubt that the good stuff is closer than it was before!

I am just beginning to notice the leaves of the earliest bulbs poking up from the ground in south-facing gardens. Some years I have had crocus actually blooming in late February, but not this year. Thin carpets of snow remain in the shadow footprints on the north side of bushes and houses, but otherwise the ground is mostly clear. Within the space of just one month, we will be blooming all over the place. I almost forget each year what forsythia looks like, which is one of the blessings of our climate - to have the time and space to mourn, then be rewarded with warmth, color and scent as if for the first time each spring. I love it. I love the anticipation of it almost as much as I love the actual blooms. It can only get better from here on out!