Spring Equinox

Normally I remember important dates like the first day of spring. I mark my calendar and make kind of a big deal out of those events. But my mind was so wrapped up in celebrating my younger sister's 40th birthday on Saturday that I totally forgot about the first day of spring, until my smart phone reminded me! So after a leisurely morning sipping coffee and watching the sun rise, Charlie and I finally headed out to our hiking destination on this very special day.

Although the sun was shining brightly and the sky was a brilliant shade of blue, the temps and windy conditions did not feel like spring today. Despite the chill, Charlie and I spent a large portion of our afternoon hiking and exploring at one of our favorite parks.

Birds and squirrels were as abundant as the sunshine today, but we haven't seen any deer in quite a while. The ice sheet across the lake is almost completely gone now and the trickling snow-melt streams running down the hillsides were more pronounced today than last week.

The angle of the sun in the sky during the spring equinox produces such a beautiful and dazzling shade of blue only seen during the months of March and September. I often refer to this color as "September Blue" although it could just as easily be called "March Blue."

Since the landscape is still a sea of browns, my eyes were constantly drawn to the sky to take in this fleeting color and revel in the newness of the season.

Trees are beginning to bud and ferns that had been preserved under snow have turned a stunning shade of green. Moisture from snow melt combined with sunshine have regenerated mosses and the forest floor is beginning to come alive again.

Charlie was running at full speed chasing squirrels and leaping over logs as she careened about the woods, her happiness radiating all around. We both had smiles pasted on our faces as we breathed in the cool, crisp air and stretched our legs on a long hike.

Afterwards, we stopped at the local ice cream place to celebrate the first day of spring and get Charlie her first Pup Cone of the season. It was a good day.