Did anyone else feel that?
A subtle, yet seismic shift?
March 1st, the Meteorological First Day of Spring, brought with it a palpable feeling.
As if Mother Nature got the memo.
The temperatures started climbing.
The snow started melting.
The snow, which had begun to fall in November and seemingly hadn't stopped since, was finally seceding.
We were thankful we hired a snow removal service this winter; we lost count of how many times he came after he cleared our driveway 40 times.
There was a moment when the city thought it might run out of salt.
There are still mounds of rock solid ice and dirt left at the roadsides.
But now, there is hope.
The sun was even caught shining the other day.
Dog walkers are daring not to wear their parkas.
The sidewalks look surprisingly safe for pedestrians, no slippery patches of black ice in sight.
Yesterday, I saw not one, but TWO motorcycles!
AND an assortment of shorts, tank tops, and running shoes.
I also saw some houseflies - which I will take as a good thing - meaning it's warm enough for them to hatch from their larvae.
I have just seen my first Robins.
The certified harbingers of Spring.
I have heard countless bird calls: Cardinals, Chickadees, Mourning Doves.
Even opened the windows a crack to let the quasi-warm fresh air in for awhile.
And spotted some VERY eager Tiger Lilies (or could they be the Hostas?) poking their heads out of the soil to catch some light.
Daylight Savings Time surged us forward into longer, lighter evenings; another sure sign that those warm, summer nights are not too far away.
Don't get me wrong; there are still PILES of now dirty snow to be gone.
While some parts of the yard are snow free down to the grass, others are still several feet beneath the mounds of white stuff that will be there for awhile yet.
The sun is shining, the snow is melting into rivulets, there is a definite feeling of SPRING FEVER in the air.
There is hope on the horizon, light at the end of this tunnel of what has been a seemingly endless winter.
The cats have warm sunbeams to nap in, replacing the heating vents that have been their refuge over the cold months.
The Astrological First Day of Spring was March 21st, another milestone.
And while I do understand that March will continue to fight to hold onto Winter and continue to do so until the bitter end, even as Spring tries to take its rightful place, and we are in for a few more storms and cold snaps with rain and wind, and perhaps even some snow, the writing is on the wall and the Robins are in the trees and there is nothing that can take that away from us.
Hallelujah and Amen to that.