Signs of Spring

While growing up we could depend upon the crocus has a first harbinger of Spring. It didn't matter that a foot of snow might fall after it had sprouted, this was little deterrent to these early bloomers. They would eventually brush off the snow like nothing had happened and then have their day in the sun. Living where I do in NYC I have to search out the crocus this time of year. The daffodils and tulips are no trouble to spot but the crocus seems to make a concerted effort to hide, likely some form of self-defense mechanism which its cousins in the suburbs don't need to consider. I saw my first crocus while walking my dog this afternoon and this occasion, along with a look at the calendar, confirms the beginning of my favorite time of year: Spring. I enjoy Spring the most of all the seasons for many reasons, including that it marks the beginning of the baseball season. Other reasons to revel in the coming of Spring are the hopeful suggestions contained in the beauty of the flowers and trees as they make their entrances, and bloom in their usual order here in the northeast. All my life it really hasn't taken much more than baseball and blooming flowers to make my day and I'm glad I'm still able to retain this childlike simplicity, even as I make my way through the inevitability of middle age and beyond.