Is it Spring yet?

The weatherman is still predicting snow showers. Snow showers are NOT April showers in my book even though they happen to occur in April. Though the crocus and daffodils shoots are beginning to poke through the ground and it actually hit 50F (10C) yesterday, it doesn't really feel like Spring yet at all. The nighttime temps still dip into the 20's (-3C) and puddles are still frozen over with skim ice in the early mornings.  

I read that a lawsuit was filed against Punxsutawney Phil this year by a winter-weary lawyer. For non-Americans, Phil is a groundhog that resides in Punxsutawney, PA and is the official prognosticator of Spring. On February 2nd each year (Groundhog's Day), he peeks his head out of his borough and if he sees his shadow, there's six more weeks of winter. This year, he did NOT see his shadow and predicted that Spring was just around the “corner”. Unfortunately, the “corner” has been covered in snow drifts lately and though Spring has officially arrived on the calendar, you certainly can't prove it by me. Phil, did get off the hook because his handler admits to misinterpreting “groundhog-ese”.

I did see my first robin the other day, a sure sign that Spring has sprung. I haven't, however, felt like hauling short sleeved shirts out of the closet nor have I given up wearing warm socks. Springtime in New England is a beautiful time of year. I just wish it would get here.

By the way, American robins and Australian robins are very different looking. Do robins signal the arrival of Spring down under? I don't know. And speaking of down under, is it starting to feel like autumn there?

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