La Primavera

It has been a long glorious winter. We had snow, actually it was Fall when it snowed, but once it snows, dates are mere technicalities. We had 5 days of temperatures in the 20s in January. It took out my foxtail ferns and pentas, but I enjoyed every minute of it. There was never a day that our heater didn't kick on and to celebrate we made meatloaf, and potpie and roast and had hot chocolate and cookies. I felt like God was rewarding us for enduring the terrible summer.

I never wanted it to end.

And then this week I went home. I drove past the green, rolling hills of Columbus and passed a muddy white pick up on I-10. It had farm tags and two men inside that were wearing cowboy hats. We saw cows, and "baby cows". We saw hawks and vultures and all kinds of other birds dancing around in the sky that was bright blue but at the same time full of thunderclouds. And then I saw them... bluebonnets. I felt like I was coming home.

Now, I am no Leon Hale. I can't drive to the southern most tip of Texas trying to find the first bit of spring, raising hell and carousing along the way, partly because my dirt-kicking companion is 2 and she falls asleep 20 minutes into the drive. But I felt it, nonetheless--La Primavera.