I've spent the last 8 years dashing to the radio to turn it off whenever the president was speaking. His voice infuriated me; it sounded like Dana Carvey imitating his father, only not as well-spoken, and the things he was saying always represented a new low in disastrous politics.
( yes, more politics )

Even a New Englander can be forgiven for mistaking the beginning of March for spring. Steady overnight rains and mild temperatures--we broke 60 again today--mean that only the most stubborn snowbanks remain. When the sun came out today, there was even some green in the grass to soak it up. I saw a blooming crocus in the Children's zoo area, and in front of the Tropical Forest building I saw my first earthworm of the year, a thin youngster pulling itself across the wet pavement.

I forgot to mention that last week, on whatever day that was that was 60 degrees (maybe Monday?) we saw a bat over the Riverway as we walked the dogs.

The Boston Birders newsgroup is reporting the return of certain spring birds: a red-winged blackbird here, a turkey vulture flyover there. I haven't seen any myself, but I did notice the goldfinches brightening up, and I haven't seen a junco (Alexis' hated symbol of winter) in some time now.

The little lady was giddy today, as she came out of her work at lunchtime and smelled the air. When it's warm and wet enough, a potent cocktail of Streptomyces bacteria, volatile oils from plants, and various substances that had been locked in the ice, make a pleasant odor we associate with spring rains. The extra minutes of sunlight tacked on to the beginning and ending of the day are a nice mood lightener, too.

I drove by Jamaica pond several times today. Yesterday it was covered in ice. This morning, the coating of ice was dark gray, like a reflection of the rain clouds above. At lunch time, the surface of the ice was roughening. On the way home the ice was gone, as the day's warmth had driven it back to water, and the rising wind made the pond surface choppy, and pushed the remaining slush to one side.

The weather is changing again, as it does. I left work carrying my coat. When I got home, I wanted to put it back on. It's supposed to get back down to freezing over night. The long range forecast has the temp hovering in the 30s and 40s for the next 10 days, but we'll enjoy what we have right now.