Springtime

Each day when I drive away from my home I'm always observing all the trees, bushes and the sky in our area until I get to the main road whichis quite a busy one and there's always too much traffic. So I must put my full attention on driving.

Today the sky was very cloudy. It rained most of the night so everything was nice and wet. I've been observing that some of the mango trees have bloomed. Others have not. This is a sign of spring. Spring is only six day away, but of course that doesn't mean that the weather will warm up and a lot of flowers will suddenly bloom. It just means that soon things will be changing. You don’t have to look far to see signs of spring. From the budding of the trees and the warming of the temperatures to the animals coming out of their winter hideouts, there seems to be a promise of new birth and color in the springtime air.

In the United States, spring is a time of transition not only for plant and animal life, but for the weather too. It can mean weather extremes from very cold and snowy days to humid and stormy days. Some of the country's biggest snowfalls have occurred in March, and the period from March to May is the time of year when much of the south is most likely to get severe thunderstorms with hail and even tornadoes. This is why the beginning of spring is a good time to put together an action plan for what you and your family would do in case of a severe thunderstorm or tornado. One has to be prepared for the unexpected.

This year spring will begin on the 20th of March exactly at 1:26 PM. At least that's what they said in our local news. It's possible that the time varies from place to place. Since I'm on the Island of Puerto Rico, maybe that's the time for this Island. I find it odd that a season should begin at a precise time of day. I would think it should start at 12:01 AM when the new day begins. But I see it's not like that at all.

I've observed other signs of spring besides the flowering of the mango trees. All trees are much fuller now. A month ago the leaves were very scarce and one could see the light through the trees. Now they are full of leaves practically leaving no light visible through the branches. Another sign of spring is that daybreak is occurring a little earlier and at 6:00 PM it's still light. A month ago it was total night at 6:00 PM.

This Island has the strangest weather behavior I've ever seen. It could be raining a storm and then the next minute the sun starts shining and it gets really hot. But what always suprises me most is the fact that it could be raining and the sun shining at the same time. Puerto Ricans usually say that a witch is getting married when it's rainy and sunny at the same time, LOL.

The coolest rainbows occur when the sun shines and it rains at the same time. I've been lucky enough to see double rainbows when this happens. But I have never been lucky enough to have my camera with me at the moment.

When I left home today it was cloudy and rainy. That was an hour ago. Now the sky is nice and blue and the sun is shining full force. That's this Island for you! Never know what to expect from the weather. Never a dull moment.

I have my camera with me today. I hope I can get to use it on some interesting subjects.