Saying good-bye to winter

 I know a lot of people would tell me I need a psychiatric referral when I say this, but I love winter (there! I said it!) and I'm sorry to see it go. And going it is, no doubt about it, the days are quickly getting longer (though my early morning constitutional, now amply light before I return home, will be in the dark again as of tomorrow, because it's time for the clocks to spring forward tonight--another sign, be it socio-political, that the season is changing). A friend says crocus leaves are already peeping up in the sunny parts of her back yard. The average daily high in Chicago is in the high 30s or low 40s. I looked up at some bare branches yesterday morning and I'm sure they've got telltale swellings hinting that leaves will be bursting forth momentarily (well, in Chicago, I'm pretty sure they have a full month to go before they do, if they have any sense at all). Oh, yeah, Ma Nature could still do it again, she's been known to dump a foot of snow on us in April, and it's still only mid-March. But I'm going to miss winter. I loved the beauty our February blizzard bestowed. I watch webcams on top of high Yellowstone and Grand Teton peaks all the time. This one is at the fire lookout on top of Mount Washburn in Yellowstone, a great hike in clement weather, but unoccupied in winter. The cam slipped its mooring and instead of gazing out over the mountain's shoulder, the grand canyon of the Yellowstone River, and beyond like it's supposed to, it's neatly focused on the railing outside the lookout. How about those fanstastic crystal formations? Winter, I look forward to spring, summer and fall, and to seeing you again in full cold force next year!