Springing Forward

I am up early this morning so that I can get JT to his morning baseball practice.  We have so much snow on the ground that the icy white reflects the faint morning light enough to brighten the day before the sun even rises.  This morning, I can hear birds chirping outside.  Yesterday, the temperature rose above 40 degrees and every time I went outside I was surprised by the warmth.  We’d long ago reached that point in the Winter when I brace myself in expectation of cold before going outside and it was strange not to have that feeling.

Strange, but not unwelcome.  I’ve rather had enough of cold, snowy days like our most recent storm.

My car dings a warning when the outdoor temperature gauge registers 39 degrees, a warning that temperatures are now suitable for winter driving conditions.  If the temperature is already below 39 when I start the car, the ding doesn’t sound, which has largely been the case for the last two months.  When I heard it the ding yesterday, I was at first startled.  Then I laughed.  In December, that sound os a necessary warning.  But now that sound is good thing, a signal that the days are getting warmer.

The local weather reports that we had 170% of our usual snowfall this year.  That’s not hard to believe.  

Though plenty of snow still lingers, I’m starting to believe that the major snowstorms are behind us. When we dropped off JT at practice yesterday, T and I saw the very edge of daffodils peeking out of the soil against the school’s gym yesterday.  They are the first I’ve seen this Spring and they are a welcome arrival.