The snow started Friday night. After 24 hours it was still coming down, whipped by the wind into whiteout conditions. Another 12 hours later the wind had calmed somewhat and the flurries were lighter, but still coming down. The snow was blown into drifts, and it was hanging precariously from the roof eaves. Anywhere from 10 to 12 inches were on the ground. As I headed out to start shoveling my eyes caught sight of the fence. The snow was perched carefully on the railings and even filled in the horizontal line to the caps of the posts. At the bottom the snow had drifted partway up. Two hours of shoveling and the snow was still coming down. Although this sort of snow is not unheard of in Minnesota in April, it is anything but spring-like, and most Minnesotans are dreaming of green grass. Soon!
spring
The turn of a season and a calendar page
Like the flip of a switch, spring blew into the Twin Cities this past week. Last Monday, May 1st, brought us snow flurries in abundance – it looked and felt more like November than May. But as the week wore on, the temperatures rebounded, the sun appeared, and the leaves started opening. The tulips and daffodils became riots of color, the crabapple trees were awash in pinks and whites, and the once-barren, brown grass became green again. This weekend found people outside – gardening, walking, running, biking, having parties on their patios and decks – anything to soak up the warmth and the return of spring.
Spring and Easter
Spring and Easter – all at the same time. Bright colors, light colors, the colors of spring. This flowering crabapple bonsai seemed to sum up the season and the day. Wishing you the bright colors and warmth and joy of spring and Easter!
Tulip time!
It’s tulip time – perhaps in the temperate Skagit Valley of Washington, or in the states to the south of me. But in Minnesota the ground has just thawed and there hasn’t been enough warmth for any bulbs to force through the still cool soil. Yet with the help of a nearby florist, we can enjoy the scents and colors of the spring to come. These tulips have brightened my world every day this past week and given me the promise of spring – perhaps just around the corner.
Hope
Webster’s dictionary defines hope as wanting something to happen or be true. So it is with spring this year. We “hope” for sunshine, warmer temperatures, the bright colors of flowers. We “hope” that the passing days bring longer hours of sunshine. And yet Mother Nature has alternative plans. This week we rode a roller coaster through snow and strong winds, rain, and the promise of warmer air. Through it all we strive to embrace what it is, just as these runners ran through a deserted Como Park having the trails and snow to themselves in this once-again wintry landscape.
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