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March 20, 2002
The first day of Spring.
Officially.
I'm using my triad to navigate, and sometimes it seems the Spring holidays start as soon as Groundhog Day, but today, at 2:16 PM, is the specific and scientific arrival of the season, as measured by a cosmic gauge. Mantic rodents notwithstanding, the celestial machinery does not recognize the concept of an early Spring.
Still, it has been a mild Winter.
Only one real snowfall, and that didn't last two days. Hardly any rain either, so now drought, and another "hottest Summer on record" beckon. But first, the passing season has one last gibe, turning wet and cold for its finale.
Just as well, maybe.
I'm detained: couldn't get away from work for a proper observance, but this is no weather to spend twelve hours in. Better will be coming, along with birds and blossoms. And Holidays, to truly impress the Spring upon us. But there's no denying the calendar, and the Equinox is achieved, even as I write this.
I'll just have to wait for the weekend.
I do have one token for you. My annual presentation of the flowers of the Red Maple; the first real blooms of the New Year. They were peaking at the end of February, a good three weeks ahead of last year's schedule, and now are faded, giving way to other signs of Spring: leaves of Apple, flowers of Forsythia, and Elms already nursing seed. All these precede the true tumult of the season, offering encouragement as we look for the south wind and an early sunrise. The Maple tides us over in a time of waiting, but now it's official: Spring is here, and things can only get better.