After the Snow, Daffodils

All that snow we had during the epic snowstorms mostly melted in the last week’s wind and rain storm. It was incredible how everything that was blanketed by the snow revealed itself in a day. So many tree branches had fallen to the ground from the weight of snow as well as the gusty winds. We also had quite a bit of debris from the fallen trees on our property.

Other than the driveway and small paths we dug out, I hadn’t seen the earth on our property for almost two weeks. After the rain had melted the remaining snow, I was delighted to discover the daffodils are coming out of the ground on my front yard! I know those bulbs were waiting underground for the right time to come out after the cold winter. Still it was such a surprise because I wasn’t expecting to see them yet.

It’s been a long, cold winter for us up here — of course, it’s nothing like the winter in the Mid-west or Northeast where there’s snow on the ground more than half of the year, but it is for wuss like me who lived in Southern California for more than 40 years. Even though the cold and wet storms are still upon us, I definitely feel the expectant spring, especially having seen the daffodil buds. I also saw a few patches of lupines on the hillside along Interstate 5 as I drove down to the city last week. Yes, the spring is around the corner, and my mind, body and spirit are thawing, too!

It is actually poignant… It’s exactly 3 years ago this week when the world stopped because of COVID. While all the restrictions and warnings about the COVID have calmed down significantly, I think this is the first spring when we all feel relatively safe and free to do things without wearing masks. We’re all thawing from the last three years of incredibly stressful time in history. I trust humanity will remain resilient like those flowers and buds that come out after a long cold winter to bloom again.