Colors

One really amazing thing about living in the Northwest is how when spring comes you feel as if it's the first time you've ever experienced one.

That rain falls profusely here is no myth, however out of staters assume it must turn to snow in the winter. Not very often, although we did have a couple of storms this winter that turned our world white and brought life to a standstill. The norm, however, is that the days are gray and rainy and short. You leave for work in the dark, you get home in the dark, and for about eight hours in between it's light enough to see that it's raining... still. Or again. Which leaves everyone in a suspended sense of color-deprivation. It's gray outside. Some days it's dark gray, some days it works up to light gray. On rare occasion a glowing orb appears in the sky, and we turn squinting eyes upward and wonder at the sight. Mothers hold their babies tighter and old folks remember a thing called 'summer'.

Can you blame everyone for being caffeine addicts here? It's a legal addictive stimulant that fills in for vitamin-D and also keeps your hands warm.

So when flowers start popping up around here it's as magical as Dorothy opening her front door and stepping out into Oz. And suddenly they're everywhere! Daffodils, tulips, azaleas, and hyacinth spring up with color. Flats of flowers outside of every market. Cherry blossoms like frosting on wet branches. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It signals that you've made it through a long, cold, wet, gray winter and your reward is the sweetness of spring as you've never tasted it. Or perhaps you have... but this year with a new sense of appreciation.

Welcome back little flowers. You are a gift and your fresh little faces make us smile.