Shall I Compare Thee to a Winter's Night?

Sorry for the lack or posts. I make it a point not to post when the the air temperature is below zero.

Today will mark the first time in over two weeks that the overnight low will be above -10 degrees (farenheit). The lowest we got was a bitter -26 degrees (around -40 with the wind chill factored in). Today it was a balmy 11 degrees in the mid afternoon. It is amazing how warm that feels by comparison.

All dramatics aside, it really is not all that bad. Extremely cold weather is actually sort of invigorating and cleansing in a way, at least when you have someplace warm and something hot to drink waiting for you when you reach your destination.

Still, I am anxious for Spring - for warmer weather and longer days to arrive. Early Spring has always one of my favorite times of the year, both during my time in Denver and in Lincoln. Those wonderfully fragrant evenings when there is still a hint of cold and yet also a flush of warmth in the night air, and the scent of flowering trees mingles with the sounds of birds and the laughter of water freed from its frozen winter slumber and running down the channels of rivers and streams.

And yet everything is not yet fully awake and alive. This time of the year is the bud and not the bloom. An awakening of hope and a promise of life and renewal, but not the full realization of what the season to come will bring.