The kids have been on spring break this week and, wonder of wonders, we’ve actually made it through without driving each other too crazy. We’ve kept fairly busy most days, and it’s helped that the weather has been nice enough that even when we were home, we could send Tage and Petra out to play in the snow and work off some of their excess energy.

Spring is truly in the air here and, as always, it’s very welcome. In the past several years I’ve had to make adjustments to my definition of spring. Unlike where I come from, around here we’re not thawed out until May, and the crocuses don’t come up until June. These days we’ve still got mountains and mountains of snow and freezing temperatures, and I have little doubt that more snow is on its way, but the quality of the light has changed in a way that it does only in the springtime. I love this feeling of impending buds and blossoms and fresh, new, green-ness. The anticipation is almost — almost — as good as the actuality.