Late entry -- homage to spring and to my mother

A late entry: On traveling south by car and changing seasons in a day

I would like to pay homage to my mother – a woman who loves nature, who was with me in spirit today when I scanned the horizon in delight on hearing a cardinal's call despite the noise of trucks and traffic (we were in a roadside rest stop). These are my mom's genes for sure!!

Later I heard her voice in my mind as I searched for the names of the blooms as spring played itself out in fast-forward as we drove south.

First early spring -- snow receding, grass coming to life and weeping willows glowing with a pale green light.

And then mid-spring --   Forsythia's vibrant yellow brush marks across the landscape

And later, ever further south -- the purple glow of new, delicate crocuses ...

By late tomorrow we should be into full summer! I have not experienced this rapid unfolding of the seasons before because when I cross seasons through travel, I normally fly out of winter into a summer destination never seeing the subtle (but rapid) shifts in the world around me.

Driving is a different experience – the seasons slowly unfold in fast-forward. A paradox.

So here is to spring ... even if it seems it will only last for a single day for us this year!

And here is to you, mom – for everything you have given me which I cherish.
I thank you!