Cord Byrd: “after a mild and dry winter full of false starts, of periods of almost summery weather followed by cold and blustery…”

“after a mild and dry winter full of false starts, of periods of almost summery weather followed by cold and blustery winds, spring is truly here--here in all of its glory. In that subtle change, the gradual brightening of days and warming of the earth, most of us can sense our mood shifting. Our hearts are gladdened, our spirits are raised, our optimism is buoyed up by more than the improving economic forecasts. As we cast off the last days of winter and welcome in the spring, we shed our weary spirits along with our heavy coats. Spring is here. Here it is. How sweet it is--spring. Our hearts echo the deep joy of Samuel Pepys' song, the poet Robert Browning's ode to spring: The year's at the spring And the day's at the morn; Morning's at seven; The hillside's dew-pearled; The lark's on the wing; The snail's on the thorn; God's in his Heaven-- All's right with the world! The pansies that bloomed all winter on sheltered porches in bright defiance of the calendar are in their glory, joined by crocuses and nodding daffodils bursting through the cold earth. Lilac bushes are budding, promising sweet scents to come, and the gray and gnarled branches of old pear and apple trees are bursting forth in showy, snowy blossoms. Gregarious robins have returned, massed on warming lawns listening intently for industrious earthworms engaged in their subterranean tilling.…”