Looks Like it Finally Happened! Spring is Here...

It was sort of a grimy, gray and occasionally rainy day today... I was about to start doing some work around the house when the sun suddenly poked through the deep gray clouds and lit up our apricot tree at the side of the driveway. 

It was such a beautiful sight that I postponed writing a "serious" blog post and instead headed off to grab my camera. I'm glad I did!

So these are some shots of our old apricot tree, bursting into bloom. I think we can safely say that "Spring has arrived!"

It's a pretty old tree, as apricots go, and it seldom sets significant fruit to speak of. During a few better years we might end up with a handful of fruit, no more.

But it certainly does make for a beautiful sight in late March, and serves as a reminder that spring is finally here.

Haven't seen any bees out and about yet, but I expect they will soon follow. We usually see an occasional bumble bee first, and a couple of weeks later the first regular bees start showing up.

Spring was always one of my favorite times of the year, even when I was a kid.

Growing up in Denmark, the nearby beech forests would be covered with a blanket of white anemonies (Anemone nemorosa) that almost looked like a thin layer of snow. Over there, that was almost the "official" sign of spring.

They were really pretty, too... I'm thinking about them now because the appearance of their tiny blooms were not unlike these apricot blossoms.

I used to walk our dog in the nearby woods, and would pick them for my mom. She was pleased, but always reminded me that they were poisonous... which I don't think I ever took very seriously. Actually, white anemonies are poisonous, but I was raised by someone who declared everything to be "poisonous," if she wanted me to stay away from it.

Anyway, back to the apricots. I tried to capture the contrast between the white blossoms and the leaden gray sky, but none of those shots turned out very well.

I guess the reason I have always liked spring so much is because it gives me a sense of hope; a sense that maybe "things" will start growing again.

We have had a few lean years, and sometimes it has been difficult to remain hopeful. Spring, however, always adds a layer of hope. And hope seems to be one of those feelings that make our burdens seem a little lighter, even during dark moments.

So there it is! Occasionally, I do write some "lighter" and "fluffier" posts! Maybe that's my own personal version of "spring fever."

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to the more serious business of maintaining my eBay shops! I hope you enjoyed the photos, even if there is no way to truly capture the beauty of real life in a photograph.

How about YOU? Is spring a "hopeful" season for you? Does it feel like a time when you're inspired to renew, like nature is renewing? Or is it pretty much like any other time of the year, for you? Do you have any particularly vivid "springtime memories? Share a comment and help start the dialogue!

(As always, all text and images by the author unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)