It's supposed to be spring, dagnabit!

Well, that didn't go quite as planned. The kiddo and I just headed out to her favorite playground, and I should've known it wasn't my most brilliant idea when we arrived and were the only car in the parking lot. In the summertime, we're lucky to find a parking spot anywhere in the large, spacious lot. Hmmm, perhaps that is the key, that "in the summertime" bit... We had to walk the long way around to get to the playground as there was a melting-yet-still-decently-large mountain of snow bordering the parking lot, left over from when they plowed the lot during the winter, I am guessing. We had to step carefully as the ground was a few degrees beyond sodden, but we squished and squooshed our way to the edge of the mulched-in play area where all seemed good. The sun was shining, a gentle breeze (okay, Arctic wind, more like) was blowing, the mulch wasn't too wet and the slides were all dry. I sent the kiddo on up to the top of the slide and prepared to capture the First Slide of the Year with the camera. By the time the kiddo had climbed up and slid down, my hand that was holding the camera was a wee bit numb. Hmmmm. We lasted just under five minutes before I pulled the plug and piled us back into the car to warm up. We're planning to meet some friends at one of the local indoor play areas tomorrow, so at least that was some consolation to the kiddo. In the meantime, I'm still waiting for the feeling to return to my camera-holding hand...

Now, spring officially started last week. The robins and the bulbs have gotten the message, as they're popping up all over our yard. Well, not my crocus bulbs (crocuses? crocii? crocipetti? how does one pluralize "crocus" anyhow?). They don't seem to be anywhere in sight, and I blame the voles that live - nay, thrive! - in a community under our back deck. I'm telling you, those fat, little critters are burping crocus bulb burps and breathing crocus bulb breath... But back to spring - if the birds and the bulbs know what time of year it is, why hasn't the weather caught on by now? *sigh* I'm guessing it will be at least a good month before it's warm enough to go outside in less layers than a polar explorer requires, but boy, I cannot wait. I want to start working on the garden, I want to bask in the sunshine without my nose freezing even as it starts running down my face, I want to open all the windows and let fresh air into the house... Please, spring, please get here soooooooon!!