Things that make me happy #5

Crocuses are one of the first signs of spring in Wisconsin.  They are so beautiful when they push up from under the still cold ground.  And I anxiously await their little buds each spring.

It sounds so cliche to talk about spring as a time of renewing and rebirth.  But, I guess it is a cliche for a reason.  Spring is the time when everything comes back to life.  When the harshness of the winter turns into the promise of sunshine and fresh beginnings.

I feel this even more since moving back to Wisconsin from Arizona.  Although I still enjoyed the end of winter in AZ, the differences in the seasons were much less dramatic.  It made the first signs of spring less recognizable, and often I would miss spring entirely and suddenly realize that summer was upon me.

In Wisconsin, there are much more noticeable markers to the seasons: the snow melts, the robins arrive, the sun stays up longer...and the crocuses bloom.

And that makes me happy.