First Day of Spring, and Snow

I am just opening my eyes. It is still dark in the room, but not too dark to see. I look at my watch. March 20 and it is 6:30. I yawn, role over, and snooze another couple of minutes. MARCH 20TH!!! It's the first day of spring! I hop out of bed, and pull on my jeans, a shirt that says "Chocolate", and a sweatshirt. My bathroom has a door that goes to the outside, so I don't even bother going out of my bedroom before I grab my camera and dash outside. It is now 6:40, and I look into the sky. Huge thumbnail sized snow clumps are coming down by the bucketfull. It is not cold outside. But it often so when it snows. The snow flakes are big, too. This means that they are coming from pretty low clouds. Clouds that are lower, manufacture snowflakes at warmer temperatures. Snow is made when tiny water droplets condense on specks of dust. Because of the molecular composition of water, multiple droplets of water begin to form crystals. Crystals that come from clouds this low tend to be soggy and and stick to eachother, and that is why the snow flakes are so big. (It is dark because of the low clouds.) I make a few photographs, but I am in a hurry to get back inside to pack my bag. Today I get my learner's permit, and I've waited all too long since my 16th birthday last June to miss my opportunity today! before I shut the door behind me, I note with satisfaction, "Good, it's not sticking, and it's so warm, that it will stop soon, and my crocuses will not die of frostbite this year." Last year, after a warm spell in the beggining of March, Mr. Weather decided to play an early April Fools day trick, brining snow baring clouds, wind, and his trusty puck, Jack Frost, back into the the scene. My poor miniature crocus patches in our front lawn fell for it, and came up a few weeks early, only to freeze when they were still green shoots with hints of yellow, and hang limp and lifeless when the sun came out again. I shut the door, still reminiscing about still previous springs. As I walked back to my bedroom, I looked out a window. There, as white and fluffy as a knitted baby's blanket, lay a crinkled layer of snow. Well, it was pretty, but I hope we will have crocuses this year!