March Days

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:
when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.

Charles Dickens
"Great Expectations"

I was at the grocery store today, a beautiful sunny morning with pale blue skies and massive thunderheads climbing to the heavens behind the mountains.  My car was half in the sun and half shaded by a small tree.  As I loaded the groceries in my Blazer, the sun was warm on my back, a hint of Spring in the touch.  I closed the hatch and stepped around to the driver's side of the car and was hit by a blast of icy wind that might have just skimmed across a snow-capped ridge in the Himalayas.  It blew my jacket open, sending shivers down the front of my body while I could still feel the heat on my back.

As I drove home, I couldn't help but smile at the serendipity:  Just last month I had written a quote in my journal about the very thing I'd just experienced.  On the first day of March, no less.  I love when those simple moments come together.

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When I got home, I noticed some flowers were starting to bloom in the front yard.  After the groceries were put away, and I had a cup of tea, I wandered around the garden and took a few photos.  The Himalayan wind chased me indoors fairly quickly, but I managed to catch a few glimmers of what's to come in the weeks ahead...

In order of appearance: Azalea, Oriental Cherry, Hellebore.

Spring: the promise of new beginnings, the awakening of the earth, a renewal of life every year.  Whether blowing hot or cold, it's always been my favorite season.