I took a drive from Pennsylvania to Hilton Head, South Carolina yesterday. When I left home it was 35 degrees, barren trees, and only a hint of the coming spring. The sun rose to a clear day and as I drove through West Virgina the best news was that I didn't have to deal with snow on the highway, but there was still no sign of spring.
North Carolina brought improvements. The grass was green and I began to see the red tinge of buds appearing on the trees. It doesn't take much to get me excited at this time of year, and that was the beginning for me. The excitement rose in my veins the way sap rises in a maple tree.
I stopped for gas and took my jacket off. It was 60 outside. The breeze was mild, the sun warm. Yea!! The bright yellow of forsythia bloomed on the roadside. I started singing in the car. Maggie got up to see what I was so excited about. I don't think she got it. I continued on. Crossing Lake Norman I was enthralled by the flowering trees. It was a beautiful afternoon. If this is March in North Carolina I could live here!
At the South Carolina Welcome Center I got out for a bathroom break. Crossing the parking lot, I was almost dancing. Daffodils were in bloom!
It was 75 degrees. The sky was a deep blue above the pines. I was in heaven.
Spring is such a beautiful time, but I would be happiest if I could skip the first 6 weeks when the world is still cold and it springs back to life in slow-motion. I love watching the time-lapsed version. Of course, when I return home, it will be early spring again, but then I get the real version....the one where I get to enjoy the daffodils and tulips for several days, the bloom of the trees as they go from gorgeous flower to pale green leaf.
Sometimes my impatience gets in the way.
