Dreaming of Spring

One of the things I really enjoy about New Jersey is the seasons.  We enjoy all four seasons here but experience very little of the extremes I endured when I lived in Nebraska or Tennessee.  In New Jersey, the calendar is a pretty sound guide to the temperature outside.  March, which heralds spring, will bring both longer days and usually a bit of much-desired warmth.  I find myself ready for the change.

Unlike last winter's cold and snow, this winter has been comparatively mild.  Even so, I'm growing weary of mining jacket pockets in search of gloves and wearing tights, scarves, and jackets.  I'm ready for some warmth and the arrival of the short-sleeve, sweater-instead-of-a-jacket season.  I want to exercise my California birthright and wear flip flops outdoors.  And I long to be in the garden.  The last two mornings around here have been cold, but not frigid.  I've been drawn outside for just a few minutes.  Today, I walked out with my coffee and left some coffee grounds under the azaleas in my front flower bed.  Yesterday, I stood on the back deck with coffee and my coat and watched the sun rise.

Each day, we add a few more minutes of sunlight, slowly marching our way forward to spring.  I'm glad of it.