We woke this morning to riotous springtime birdsong and sun–precious, blessed sun–blasting through our bedroom window. Our rooster was crowing his head off, surprising even himself with his bantam lung power, I am sure. The poor girls trapped in the henhouse were pretty grumpy when the kids finally arrived to let them out. We gathered our cups of strong coffee, gathered our 14  large eggs for our Saturday breakfast, and headed outside to inspect this glorious day.

Crocus were literally plunging from the earth and growing before our eyes. I swear it. The kids’ squeals of “Look! A snowbell!” Or “Look! Buds on the trees!” Or “Mom! Dad!! COME LOOK! It’s a FOREST OF FLOWERS!” were the kind of happy squeals that set the tone for all kinds of gratitude, the kind you can feel in your bones and wish you could preserve for the next gloomy, haunting, dark, deary, muddy winter day (how’s that for a ton o’ murky adjectives?) that we all know will meet us again soon–maybe even tomorrow.

So you have to grab it while you can. That’s how it works around here. Dust off the mud, cast off the moss. Soak in the sun with every fiber of your being.

Brooks was so excited he painted his face and has been roaring around shouting like a fierce monster.

Every time we found another sign of spring, the kids proclaimed that magic was afoot. I had to agree. This day. As I write this, the neighborhood kids have gathered here and their screaming laughter is drifting through the windows. I’ve cleaned my kitchen till it sparkles. We are planning a fine menu tonight including ginger-mint kale salad from the garden and cobbler with summer’s frozen blackberries and maple-spiced whipped cream. Yep. This is the life.

I keep thinking about that wonderful, childhood passage in Frog & Toad All Year when Frog tells Toad all about his exhausting journey searching for the corner around which spring would be. He traveled through snow and harsh weather and found nothing, until, as he says, he nearly gave up:

“You must have been tired,” said Toad.
“I was tired,” said Frog, “and it started to rain. I went back home. When I got there,” said Frog, “I found another corner. It was the corner of my house.”
“Did you go around it?” asked Toad.
“I went around that corner, too,” said Frog.
“What did you see?” asked Toad.
“I saw the sun coming out,” said Frog. “I saw birds sitting and singing in a tree. I saw my
mother and father working in their garden. I saw flowers in the garden.”
“You found it!” cried Toad.
“Yes,” said Frog. “I was very happy. I had found the corner that spring was just around,”

So, from our sun-kissed, water-drenched piece of paradise to yours, we wish you a happy weekend and an early touch of Spring!