The First Tug of Spring

The ground and sidewalk and driveway ice was nearly all gone by the end of the day today. Made it almost a pleasure to haul the trash cans out to the curb late in the evening: Squishy grass; Orion, way over to the southwest; the cool, not cold, wind. It’s too soon to call it real spring, but I’ll take what I can get until winter tugs the rope again and we swing back into the cold.

The earliness of Daylight Saving Time this year, the result of Congress tinkering with the system yet again in the name of fuel efficiency, was a little disorienting. But it did give me time, since by coincidence the weather was warm, to walk over to Lilly’s friend’s house to bring her home for dinner. I had gotten in the car and started the engine to drive the half-mile or so, which is perfectly rational in colder months, when I thought, why am I driving today?

Nice to get out on the sidewalk and take in the details. I've enjoyed city and rural walks, but suburban walks have their charms too: odd little decorations on the houses, gnarled tree trunks, irregularities in the sidewalk, occasional people out doing this and that. Car washing was especially popular this warm day.