Springtime

Azaleas in Bloom, Mid-March, Atlanta

The nights in New Jersey are finally getting above freezing and the first annuals are poking their heads up through the soil.

Meanwhile, back in my old home in Atlanta, spring has been running full riot for two months. It seems strange for winter to last past the official first day of spring.

When I left Atlanta on January 27, 2015, I was wearing sandals and the top of my car was down. I arrived in Ringwood, NJ just after sundown on the 28th. The top was up and I had changed to closed-toed shoes in Maryland, but I wasn't prepared for the single-digit temperatures and the howling wind; even though I was wearing what I thought was a heavy coat, I thought I would freeze to death before I got the car unloaded.

It snowed a few days after I arrived. The days were below freezing and the night near zero. The snow wasn't going away and a huge ice dam was threatening to take down the gutters. I was shoveling snow for the first time in my life and for the first time wearing gloves and a scarf and a hat when I left the house. I wondered: what have I signed up for.

Happily, the winter of 2015-2016 was mild. We got only one snow, and it went away quickly. I thought we had gotten through this winter scot-free, but mid-March brought a doozy of a blizzard. Snow was above my knees and was on the ground for weeks.

When spring comes to New Jersey, it's pretty. The warmer weather will bring flowers, and I'm happy about that. I just wish they had arrived in February.