Kind of Squirrelly

Today is first of March, that glorious month when spring officially arrives.  Spring has been in the air for a bit, despite a few days of cold temperatures and "wintery mix" weather, as the meteorologists say. Granted, in this part of the country, winter sort of slid through without any major hiccups this year but, still, there is nothing as hopeful as having the calendar page turn and, with it, the arrival of signs of spring everywhere.  I read in a recent newspaper article about this being the mating season for many animals.  The author cited squirrels in particular, so I must now watch our neighborhood's squirrel population to see if anyone's acting amorous.  As I read the article, I thought back to last year's squirrel family that resided in the mature arbor vitae that divide our backyard from our neighbor's.  Larry and I enjoyed countless early-summer hours sitting in our sunporch, watching the young squirrel siblings dashing from branch to branch, chasing each other up and down the tall evergreens.  In a few months, we may have a new family of squirrel offspring to entertain us.  When spring is in the air, perhaps we all act a little squirrelly, and that's just fine with me.  I see it as a sign of gratitude for surviving another long winter and of celebration for the renewal of life.