I’ve been waiting for it for about three weeks now.  The weather started getting pretty warm last week, but it wasn’t spring yet.  The blossoms started coming out in force last weekend, but that wasn’t it either.  I had to mow my lawn for the first time since fall, but that wasn’t it.  My Japanese maple tree is almost fully leafed now, but that wasn’t it either.  It’s shirt sleeve weather more often then not, and I’ve had the furnace off for over a week now.  It was warm enough to put the deck furniture out and the garden hoses out finally.  But that wasn’t it.  All the neighbor’s tulips were out in force last Sunday but that wasn’t it.  These were all merely signs that it was coming.  But when I got to the office yesterday and parked Traveler I looked around for spring and it still hadn’t arrived.  I was beginning to wonder if it would get here before the end of April.

It happened this morning.  The Institute swallows are back, suddenly, sassing the sparrows, busily fussing with their nests which have been empty all fall and winter, and darting in and out of the parking garage to feed.

It’s spring now.