Has spring hatched?

This evening, the owner of one of our favorite off the beaten path restaurants, perched next to our table and puzzled, "So what do you think?  Was last week our summer?  Are we going through spring or fall?"

There we were, nestled in together after a hopeful day filled with raised beds and flower sales and compost and I was stunned.  This overcast, gray, windy evening did strike me as much closer to November than May.  Either way, my birks were pushing the boundaries of pedal comfort.

So what?  So what that it's chilly?  So what that for several brief moments this week it snowed.  Hard.  So what that my hands are eager for dirt while the plants are reticent?

My "so what"... is "So, what if it were true?"  What if we were on the midst of plunging back into December, frost-laden grass and frozen breath?  What if instead of new spinach greens and strawberries we were heading back towards cabbage and butternut squash?  What if instead of shedding we were bundling?  What if we were welcoming darkness instead of light?

What if what we know about the next thing coming was tipped ass end up?  Could we cope? What if our assumptions about the future were 180 degrees off?  Then what?  Acceptance or denial, this day is our today.  That's really all we know.  Really, that's all we have.  Everything else is counting chicks.

That said: Bring on the sun, the flowers, linen skirts and beach towels!