March Showers

After a week of absolutely gorgeous weather, Mother Nature decided to ring in the first few days of spring with a heavy cold rain. But what is it they say? “March showers bring more April showers?” The gray firmament is really spitting down right now, but I can’t really complain, since it was so perfectly lovely last week. On Wednesday I spent my 40-minute lunch break walking around campus snapping shots of the blossoming flora: cherries, Bradford Pears, forsythias, and magnolias galore. I had to consciously resist the urge to throw myself down in the cool grass and lie there in Zen-like peacefulness. Of course, it helped that we had just finished a unit on nematode parasites in my Zoology class. The thought of tiny hookworms boring through my skin and encysting in my intestine wasn’t a particularly pleasing one.

Anyway, I’ve always liked all of what spring symbolizes. Rebirth, renewal, change, hope. Watching the birds seek out mates (the other day I saw a turkey tom doing a full-blown dance surrounded by appreciative ladies) and the pollinators busy at work on the new blooms fills me once again with appreciation for beauty. And now I’m on spring break—time to catch up on the multitude of short papers I have to write, pull out a few arts-and-crafts, and maybe get a little sleep for a change!