It feels like spring, but I know better

I know, it’s not even mid-February. I know that, in spite of what groundhogs may or may not have seen last week, winter is not about to release its steely grip on the weather before sometime in mid-March — if we’re lucky.

But the thermometer topped 77 this afternoon in Johnson City, Tenn. It’s sunny, a few wispy white clouds slip slowly across the sky. The new calves in the pasture behind the house are curled up in little black balls, soaking up what, to all appearances, is sunshine from a beautiful spring day.

A few tiny wildflower blossoms poke above the brown straw left in the hay meadow. Reddish buds are emerging on the lavender bush beside the deck. Daylily shoots thrust through the soft soil in the front flower bed, and one of Pat’s purple pansies, in full flower, displays a yellow spot the size of a thumbtack in the middle.

It looks and feels like spring. And the forecast for tomorrow—a low of 19. So, I’ll enjoy today and  appreciate these images that herald springtime.