Spring Has Sprung

Well, spring has officially sprung once again, and most of the nation will be glad to see it arrive! The past winter was unpredictable and fraught with strange and dangerous weather, which we will all be glad to see gone. Here in the Charlotte area we were lucky, with only one light dusting of snow last month. The rest of the state didn't do quite as well, with some flooding and wind damage, but nothing when compared to the storm related damages elsewhere.

As you can see, we have completely re-done our backyard, extending the patio and adding a couple of fountains and a reflecting pool. We even had a few sculptures placed in order to give it a more unique flavor. Once everything begins blooming, it should be even more beautiful.

Actually, that is Stowe Botanical Gardens on Gaston County, about 40 minutes from our house. I was thinking of posting this for April Fool’s Day, but changed my mind. The gardens were spectacular, though spring was still three days away from making its arrival when I took this photo last Sunday.

Spring is a time of renewal. Everything that left for the winter comes back again. And the cycle starts all over. For me, there is a strange comfort in that; knowing that the end of one season marks the beginning of the next; somehow that makes it easier to wade through the winter months, “waiting for the sun.” 

Time Change - The Semi Annual Shuffle

It didn't make much sense to me last year, and still doesn't this year, but all the clocks were re-set last night before I went to bed. Now, today I will go through the annual ritual of getting in my car and, just for a brief instant, wonder how I lost an hour! Then I will reset that clock and everything will be back to normal.

One of the greatest benefits about this semi-annual event is that now there won't be as many kids waiting for the school buses in the pre-dawn darkness. They will just be trying to walk home safely in an earlier twilight. Someone has said that this is safer for the children, as well as saving us money. But, at the age of 57, I'm still not convinced.

It's a day off for me. And one hour longer to boot!

Don't Forget To Fall Back......

Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour tonite before you go to bed. Wouldn't want to cheat yourself out of an extra hour of whatever you might be doing at 2 AM! I actually waited up one year to see how the TV stations handled it. I fell asleep in front of the TV at about 1:30 AM, so that falls under the "Failed Research - To Be Retried at a Later Date" category. That list gets longer every year. I'm going to try and enjoy staying up a little bit later, and then also waking up a little bit later, which will still really be a little bit earlier, so the whole thing will even out in the end.