Usually it is a trip designed to counter winter weariness. (one year, when we left, it was one below zero. Last year, we left in a snow and freezing rain storm.) A 10 hour or so drive and we see the trees blooming. My solar panels unfold. I drink in the warmth and discard winter coat in favor of shorts.
Ahhhhhhh. A few days of bliss. And then, we have to return to - the dreary bare trees. Some years there still has been snow on the ground.
But not this year. We left on March 18 with trees starting to bud out here. We arrived in Charleston, SC to find their plants a good 2-3 weeks ahead (about the same as us). It was a totally incredible experience, full of azaleas, rhodies, and dogwood. Even as we drove north and spring started its rewind, we found flowering trees everywhere.
Including at home. We arrived yesterday evening, in light drizzle/sleet/ice pellets. But to my delight, I saw....and keep in mind this is the Binghamton, NY area, on March 29:
Cherry trees, Bradford Pears and forsythia were in bloom throughout our neighborhood. The crabapples are getting ready to bloom just down the street.
For the first time (and maybe the last time!) spring hadn't rewound completely by the time we were back in upstate New York. We were left with a little chunk of spring to savor.
That was partially thanks to our area getting up into the 80's last week.
But then, nature played a cruel trick. It got down to 21 Tuesday morning (16 at my son's house). We may lose a portion of our area apple crop, which would be a terrible loss for local farmers.
And now, the forecast for tomorrow morning includes snow. But as far as I am concerned, everything is shouting "spring"!
Tomorrow, I will share with you what we found when we drove around Binghamton today.
Beautiful!
ReplyDelete