February Day

If winter comes,

can spring be far behind?

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

Ah, but the key phrase here is "If winter comes".

Is it coming??! I sure wish it would come, in the cloak of snowy white, and clear freezing nights on which one can stargaze through a million light years, and crisp, crunchy mornings, and frosty windowpanes, and beautiful sunsets, and...

But I am not sure but what we've missed winter this year.

My daffodils have sprung. The grass in the yard, just today, looks a shade greener in hue than it did three days ago - thanks to the much-needed rain, no doubt. Rain which coulda been snow, if we were having winter. In fact, we got so much rain, I wonder how many inches of snow that might have been? Enough for me to haul out the XC skis and enjoy the XC ski course I groomed some 4 months ago, in anticipation of winter. But, my skis are unused thus far, in Winter 2011-12. I hauled out my rainboots instead.

And instead of enjoying Jack Frost painting our window panes, I washed windows this weekend.

Surely, a harbinger of spring.

Oh, dear.