I awoke this morning to the sounds of the spring birds singing and yet,
it was a bit too quiet.
It is the type of quiet that leaves one with a feeling of foreboding.
April is a month that brings renewed hope in the northeast, the lawns are beginning to green, the buds can be seen on all tress, the birds can be heard welcoming the morning and of course, the temperatures have risen to the stage where no coat is needed. The boots have been put away along with other trappings of winter such as the snow shovel.

April lulls one into a false sense of security.

What does this foreboding quiet morning bring?

Why snow!

As a youngster, my father always noted that snow in April was actually good for the soil and a wise man would already have seeds in the ground ready to take advantage of this gift. It is important to note that we always had the first green beans and peas in the neighborhood. One could say, my father was somewhat of an optimist, or that he was a man who had immigrated from a warm climate and had adapted to the harsh realities of New England.

Unlike my venerable father, I am of the ilk that prefers 80 degree weather and barely copes with the blessings of the winter months.

Which is why my snow shovel is still at the ready in April. I would prefer denial, but I'm more a pessimist.

Wake me in June.