Spring in the mountains

It's still early yet, in the Southern Appalachian mountains. But evidence of spring is everywhere, from the flowering daffodils to our native empheral wildflowers to the red maple fruits.

It was a long winter here in the mountains, too, and local (Asheville, NC) columnists have remarked on it.

Curiously, areas normally blasted by hard winters (the midwest) haven't been so bad this year. My friend Corrie says that it hasn't been so harsh this winter in Madison, WS -- I'm glad for them!

The northeastern states, however, had plenty of snow and late winter storms, not to mention the colder temperatures for the southeastern U.S.