Spring Has Sprung!

              About an hour ago something happened that I am not sure everyone around me was thinking about. The vernal equinox has arrived. And well most people,even I refer to it as the beginning of Spring time. The image you see is that of a Krokus blossom,one of the first flowers to bloom in my home state and of which there have been sightings lately. For the past couple of weeks,the local weather has been very typical of the oncoming time of the year. What many here call "mud season" had begun with the snow clearing away off the ground and life looking to be ready to re-emerge. Of course just as the season officially arrived the metaphorical Mother Nature played a nasty trick: another "nor Easter" storm to wreck havoc on New England.

          Spring is a very interesting time in the state of Maine. If one is of the more cynical bent,it can mean a mere extension of winter before the arrival of a presumably short summer. On the more positive side,it means the possibility of effectively cleaning ones home,garage and/or vehicle. It's also a time of Easter eggs for some and Passover seder's. Sometimes on the sadder note,as it has been for me by varying degrees for many years,it can also be a time of unpleasant nasal allergies from the abundance of trees and grass budding.  More over though I tend to look upon it as a time of renewal from what can be a cruel winter where I live,one where on nights such as tonight it's complicated even to leave your home.

           Even though it is by definition an awkward season for New England,often rife with growing pains and many unexpected climactic changes,Spring is always a time that I look forward to every year. For one,with each snow storm it's good to know that each one is getting closer to being the last one of the winter. The flowers begin to bloom,and the world is around you is just going to get a little more colorful. For me that means an open door to a wider range of photographic opportunities in nature. That also combines with what's probably the most promising aspect of spring in Maine: the warmer temperatures. I wish everyone a happy springtime,despite unexpected snow storms and to enjoy the first day of this special season of rebirth!