Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Spring in New England - or Not!

I've lived here all my life and there's one thing I can say for certain - New England weather is never predictable! Growing up, winter seemed to last well into April. Possibly that's just childhood memories, though In the 80's and 90's, it seemed like we had lots of snow but always a January though and generally late February we'd get a nice warm week - in celebration of my birthday, of course! Then we went into a spell of milder weather, though lack of snow didn't mean it was warmer. 

But no matter the winter, when Spring arrives at last we are all happy. Well, mostly happy. With spring comes "mud season" followed closely, or sometimes going hand-in-hand with allergy season. Then summer comes with its heat and humidity and we start griping about that, dreaming of cooler weather. When school starts, the kids grow wistful for snow days. 

Okay, so there's one more thing I can say with absolute certainty regarding New England weather - - we're always complaining about it! 

Here's a few photos of what Spring is bringing us this year.
Rivers in the driveway as snow melts and we have "April Showers"

Just when you think the snow is gone...!

When I was a kid, boots were often lost in the barnyard. Cars had to be pulled out by tractor. Mud is a serious thing in New England.

 And then the plants and flowers come back. On the left is a blueberry bush with leaf buds and leaves unfurling. Below is a cheerful forsythia - better harbinger of Spring than Robins, considering the Robins stay all winter around here.