Spring is here. At least sort of. But there are buds on the trees, the grass looks
grassy, and the boats have magically appeared back in the harbors.

For a while there, it felt like winter was never going to end. Every time we thought we’d gotten out, it pulled us back in (at least here in the midwest).

But that’s the funny thing about it. The winter can look like it will last forever, and the heavy dome of clouds feels as though it’s blotted the sky away. With the squirrels as fat as they were last fall (we saw a seriously obese squirrel who had food in his mouth each time he darted across the lawn, obviously searching for more) we should have known what we were in for.

In March, when we usually have a few days that remind us that we don’t live in the tundra, the mercury laid low on the thermometer and the sun stayed stubbornly absent. When the snow ended the rain began.

But here we are, flowers deciding their time has come, color seeping back into world. No matter how long the winter lasts, or how permanent it can feel, spring returns, and winter melts away.