Spring Already?

Usually in March, I, like most people, am moaning about winter going on forever.  When will spring ever come?

But this year it seems that spring has snuck up on me; I am surprised by the warmer weather and the first new leaves.  For once it feels like winter was short. I guess that's natural; December was unusually warm and sunny, an extension of fall rather than a beginning of winter.  And while I did have some cool weather (although only occasionally really cold) weather in Yunnan, Singapore was comfortably in the 80s and Indonesia was downright hot, straddling the equator as it does.

Once I got home, I was granted one sunny day of transition before being plunged into my three days of real winter, starting class with a dusting of snow and steady sleet.  But after that the highs were mostly in the fifties again, and we never saw another flake of snow.  So while the calendar says it's mid-March and the willow trees are budding along the lake, I am still expecting snow and feeling the need to wear several layers.