I realized not too long ago that my mood doesn't change when springtime weather rolls in, but my sheepishness about my mood does. That is, when everybody else finally has a spring in their step (so to speak) I get to cut the tether on the cheeriness I started feeling when the first snow fell. It's a bit asynchronous, I suppose, but it cuts down on the dirty looks.

These tulips have checked in with me each time I mount my bike in our driveway on my way down Mass Ave -- and as I've suited up with less and less, they've done the opposite. They have bees to attend to now, and they're ridiculously close to a busy, sandy, candy-wrappery sidewalk, but don't you think they're beautiful?

Even Sean, our resident green thumb, doesn't know what kind of tree it is that blooms in our front yard but I liked the way its colors and curves contrast with the monochrome lines of our front doors.

And so -- though it pains me to bid adieu to winter -- I wish you the most inspiring of springs.