Florida

Spring has arrived. It was 63 degrees this morning by 10 a.m. Nearly everyone I've seen this morning mentioned how much they were tickled by the warming weather. Hopefully we've seen the last of winter.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day. Spent several hours outdoors, including some time in my favorite place on the planet -- an untouched cypress swamp. Red maples are showing their true colors in brilliant scarlet leaves. Cypress trees are just beginning to put forth their own uniquely spring green leaves. The first cypress tree I saw dressed up in its new finery was a dwarf tree, growing very close to the ground, so I could touch the new leaves. They were so soft and feathery.

Really enjoyed a book I read last week, "Stormy Weather" by Geri Buckley. The book features a strong, Southern woman character who finds herself on her 50th birthday fed up with her husband and mother-in-law. The Florida-based book struck several chords with me, obviously, being 50!