It smells like Spring

This morning as I stood outside to assess the day, I was surrounded by the smell of Spring.  I stood there stunned that the air smelled sweet, slightly pungent, different than it was yesterday.  Mother Nature is up to something.  It was unexpectedly warm yesterday, in the mid-70’s, unusual for this time of year.  Perhaps the warm air stimulated all the plants to turn up their metabolism to grow and release sweet smells into the air.  February is extraordinary here in Berkeley.  The hills turn green from the rain, daffodils and narcissus and beautiful hellebores adorn gardens.  But it is the pink and white blossoms in the ornamental plum and cherry trees that blow me away.  They are like girls (in my day) dressed up in beautiful extravagant dresses ready to go out.  I remember February in the colder places we lived (Connecticut and Tennessee) was the worst month of winter.  Spring seemed impossibly far away as the roads were rutted with black ice.  Last week it was so for much of the country as it struggled under freezing cold and snow of the Polar Vortex that had moved South.   Here the days this week are beautiful and warm.  It is easy to feel cheerful on such a beautiful sweet smelling Spring morning.   We are very fortunate to live in such a beautiful place.