Favorite Unofficial Holiday!

My favorite unofficial holiday is the Day Spring Shows Up around here. I have to be diligent in watching for it, which in itself is a great daily discipline. This day began with thunderstorms and, while they are definitely a sign of spring, I was disappointed that I would be stuck inside. But the sun peeked out a little while ago, so my trusty dog, Skyler, and I headed out. And I found the first blossoms of the year in my own front yard! Delightful!
Another sure sign of spring for me is seeing the migratory birds return. And today I not only saw a bunch of robins in the neighborhood, but I heard the mysterious cries of the sand hill cranes as wave after wave of them glided high overhead on their way north. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm weird, but I headed out to take pictures. I did manage to get the cranes as they disappeared over my neighbor's roof, but the robins were a little shy today.One final picture from yesterday. I went with some friends to the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. And yes, I took LOTS of pictures of flowers, but this picture represents a HUGE step of courage for me. Uh-huh, that's a real tarantula that I'm holding. Please know that I am so scared of spiders that I feel physically sick to my stomach just looking at them. But for some reason yesterday I went over to the insect petting zoo and, well the picture tells the rest. You can see from the expression on my face that I am as surprised as anyone to be holding an actual spider and not passing out from terror!

Spring is a time of new beginnings, and I wish you many wonderful new beginnings this season!

(Now that I managed to format the pictures better, I am stuck with underlining beneath the text! Sorry -- that looks a little rude. I'll keep working on it.)