Spring 2009 Is Almost Here

Here in Arkansas we get to experience all four seasons if only for a brief while. Summer seems to last forever so we have a relatively short spring and fall. The winter is mild but it is enough to make me yearn for spring every year. Eddie Vedder once crooned "No matter how cold the winter there's a spring time ahead." That sentiment keeps me going through the cold short days of winter. Now here in Arkansas spring time is right around the corner. The first signs are the daffodils blooming. They have already come and gone. Then the Bradford Pears and Dogwood trees bloom with limbs full of white flowers. Our neighborhood is full of them. I thought about taking some pictures, but getting out and wandering in other peoples yards for photographs of trees just seemed too weird. Instead you will have to use your imagination. Most trees are putting on leaves now and my yard is full of fast growing weeds leading to the one drawback of spring... mowing.

It has been so warm here that Arica, Braden and I went for a walk the other day. Being born in winter has pretty much made Braden an inside fixture for the first months of his life. I am always glad for spring to come, but this year I am even more excited because I can go outside and play with Braden finally. On a perfect spring day in Arkansas you can expect clear cloudless blue skies and 70 degree temperatures. It may not last long but those few perfect days make it worth while anyway. Spring feels like a new beginning every year as everything turns green and growing. The pale grays of winter turn to the bright glowing colors of spring, and it lifts my spirits. Not to be overlooked, baseball season begins again in the spring. Opening day is one of my favorite days of the year. As I wait anxiously for full fledged spring and baseball season mother nature threw me a curve ball today. It is raining and 40 degrees. That will temper my excitement for a short time while I look for that Pearl Jam CD to remind me that there is still a spring time ahead.