Spring, Sprang, Sprung

We had a rather fitful night's sleep last night. We switched sides of the bed. Not some bold experiment. Not a capricious decision. It's springtime.

Over the course of the week I see that several people on Facebook have posted photos that reflect the beauty of spring around them. Most of these images have come from out west, in the Pacific coast states. Let me just say this: You don't know spring if you haven't spent a winter in the Great Lakes region.

Here in my neck of the woods we have had nothing but brown grass and bouquets of twigs for the past 5, almost 6 months. You could look across five acres of woods and stilll see daylight on the other side owing to barren branches holding position for the next go at foliage.  All that changed this week.

In Michigan we wait what seems like an endless string of days and weeks and months to welcome the return of new growth and warm weather. It happened this week. Suddenly branches have been dusted with sprouts of greeen. Certain members of the community flora have suddenly, in the course of 4 days, gone from barren to bursting with blossoms. And, most welcome, the temperature is in the upper 70's. Voila! The effect is so overwhelming dramatic, the need is so overwhelming desperate, the response is so overwhelmingly enthusiastic, Michigan really needs to have a floating holiday, a two day suspension of school and all elective work in order to allow our residents the luxury of welcoming spring: Stay home, dig out your flip-flops, open your windows, mow your lawn, ride your bike, and smile.

All of which brings us to last night. I am a window closed kind of guy but, last night, Tam really had to have them open. And, I must say, it was a beautiful night. The breeze, however, was very slight and so, in order that Tam could feel that soft spring air on her face, we switched sides. Lucky girl. She fell asleep with that soft spring air caressing her.

Spring is great! What can I say except, most probably, we're not switching sides of the bed again. Neither one of us adjusted well to the switch. And a sound night's sleep trumps even the sweetest of spring breezes.