Is this really Winter?

...or did we just skip right past spring and head into Summer?  I prefer my seasons to have an orderly transition, follow the prescribed pattern and have the right things bloom at the right time.

But this year is All. Messed. Up.

It's not Spring's fault, really.  Winter caused all of the trouble by being so mild that we could afford our heating bills this year.  And our winter coats got hardly any wear. And the two hats I didn't finish knitting for my sons weren't needed anyway.

I had to bring out my stored summer clothes last week because it was in the 80's and I was sweltering in my jeans.

I truly love watching the spring flowers, bushes and trees bloom in the right order at the right time.  The happy blooming schedule usually moves from crocuses, to forsythia bushes, saucer magnolia trees, daffodils, bradford pear trees, cherry trees, tulips, dogwood trees and then redbud trees, with some overlap here and there.

Not this year.  All of those trees are blooming at the same time, and the forsythia finally flowered a couple of days ago.  If you can't trust the seasons to do what they're supposed to do, what can you trust?

This is very disconcerting for a woman like me who thrives on order.  I knew, for many reasons, that this was going to be a year of many changes not only for me, but several members of my family.  I thought I could at least count on the seasons to stay constant.

Who can blame the poor plants, though, this Daylight Savings Time mess probably caught up with them too.

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