Decidedly Spring Like

While the calendar has decided that spring is finally here, there are no outward signs around us. There are no bursts of color on an otherwise drab and uninteresting landscape. There are no brilliant hues waving gracefully in the warm afternoon sunlight. In point of fact, there's very little warm afternoon sunlight. I haven't even seen a robin, yet. So, you can imagine my delight when I passed by this store window in downtown Littleton. I applaud the store keeper for the vision it must have taken on some bleary cold day in February to set these tulips on their way to stardom. It's that kind of spirit that sets people in the north country apart. There are positive signs that Spring is making it's way north, however. Over the past few days, I've seen sap buckets on trees and sugar houses with steam pouring from open windows, both signs that the annual sweetness extravaganza called sugaring has begun. It's a very short season when trees can be tapped to collect what will become that amber confection so craved for pancakes, waffles and baked beans.