Melting !

Yesterday was sunny and 60 degrees outside.... the most beautiful spring day ! After a long winter, just the sight of the shrinking, sludge colored snow piles was enough to put a song in my heart. Driving into my driveway is no longer a teeth rattling experience now that the snow "hump" at the base has finally melted. It's amazing how pretty everything looks to me. Even though the grass is matted, brown and soggy,  I haven't seen it since December and it's a beautiful sight!

At school, the kids were silly and giddy about going out on the playground with no coats on. Not having snowpants and boots to struggle with, stuck zippers to wrestle, and missing mittens to locate put a spring in everyone's step. For the first time I ever remember, I actually wished it was my turn for recess duty ! I opened the windows of our classroom to let in the fresh air and blow out some of the germs we've been percolating in all winter. The smell of wet boots and unwashed mittens is being replaced with the scent of springtime puddles. 

Days like this seem like our reward for surviving the winter.  I have a hunch that a sunny 60 degree day wouldn't have this effect on my brother in Florida or my friend Angie in Texas. It's hard to explain why people stay in the midwest and put up with the winters. My only explanation is that it makes the experience of spring so exciting and new. A warm spring day might feel ordinary to much of the country, but in Boone, it was an occasion to celebrate!