It is March the 4^th… March 4, 2007, which to me signifies the beginning of spring and where did the winter go anyway? In the Coachella Valley, the weather this past winter was windier than usual and I whined about it a lot but at least no one died as a result of it. There has been nothing “usual” about the weather anywhere in North America especially in the east where tornados have taken a deadly toll at a time that isn’t typically tornado season. My prayers go out to those folks who have lost their family members and homes as a result of them.

Here the winds have subsided and we can see and feel spring in the air at last. The critters (rabbits, ducks and song birds) around the park are hanging out in pairs, a sign of mating season and the trees and shrubs are beginning to bud. This morning when I got up to walk the morning temperature was in the double digits, 10C (50F), for the first time in a while. Our expected high today is 25C (77F) and as the week progresses the temperature is supposed to continue to climb. Yay!

In less than a month we’ll be pulling out of here on our trek east eventually heading north into Ontario by the first of May. The park traffic, though still heavy, is lightening up as other folks head back to their summer homes. By the first week of April the snowbirds will be in full migration and only a few stragglers will be left behind to follow in due course. Yes, spring is definitely in the air. Here’s hoping that the spring-like conditions spread throughout the US and Canada and that the bad weather has ended for a while.