It's been a bit of a strange winter here. I live in the American South (not to be confused with South America) and our winters are usually on the mild side. Oh, you want a nice warm coat and we know what snow is - although not how to drive in it. Many the joke is made about hordes of people heading to the grocery to load up on bread and milk at the mere prediction of the White Stuff. At any rate, we usually have some days that we consider to be cold and a little sleet or snow or ice. Generally, schools are closed for a day sometime during the winter season.
But not this year.
It's been very mild. I had jonquils blooming before Valentine's Day and I've already had to dig out the summer clothes. I've thought about where to plant tomatoes. I contemplated the wearing of sandals instead of the wearing o' the green on St. Patrick's Day. And it looks like it's here to stay. (Just typing that could be a jinx and a White Witch of the Arctic may now sweep down and encase us all in ice for five days.) This isn't just an early spring; it's downright balmy outside. My azaleas, under-cared-for as they are, are in riotous bloom and I've seen a few bluebirds taking the place of winter's buzzards. (Seriously - a tree creaking under the weight of dozens of buzzards is just creepy, even in the age of wi-fi access.) Plenty of folks are grumbling dire warnings of plagues of bugs and stupefying heat to come in summer, but I'm not sure I care. It's glorious outside and I can't do anything about the weather in any event.
So go enjoy. It may get warmer and it may even get prettier, but it won't be the first day of spring again for an entire year. It'd be a shame to miss it.
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