Winter, your days are numbered!

Two days ago I witnessed thousands of northward bound Canadian snow geese cloud the southern sky as they swooped past a large pond. (They are returning, bless their little honking hearts!)  As they few low over the pond, hundreds more, who'd been lounging in their goosey way, took flight and joined the wave flying over.  It was a cool, crisp day with a bright blue sky and the sounds coming from these feathered travelers made me want to fly away with them, it was so compellingly beautiful.  It's the time of year when the birds of prey are nesting and when we start hearing a few song birds add their lovely voices to the city sounds. We're more than half way through February and the *sun* is with us more & more each day. Mardi Gras is Tuesday! To my mind, it's almost spring!  

I should add here, if I haven't elsewhere, that I do find beauty in the winter months. There's a cold starkness about it that takes you back to basics, yin & yang, black & white.  And there is real beauty to be found there.   It's the cold I could do without; cold that creeps into your bones and just doesn't quit until you're buried under down comforters...or, I guess, just plain buried, but in that case, I wouldn't give a hoot about cold.  I try to keep in mind that since we have exactly one day at a time in which to live, love, laugh, to be less than happy along the way with any of those days is a profound waste.  Would I want to live in a sunnier clime?  I've thought about every time I've visited those kinds of places (California, Florida, Mexico, Arizona) while the midwest was chilling.  But, as tempting as it is to imagine a December in the 70s (oh, that does sound good...sigh), I know it's important for me to be where the seasons' change is so clear; where a time of cold & dark makes the time of warm & light all the more welcome.  However, if tomorrow I was offered an ocean view home on Maui and free flights for my loved ones to visit regularly, I'd say 'Thank You Very Much', take the keys and never look back at cold, dark winter.  So much for the beauty of a midwestern winter.  Did I mention the song birds are returning?