Goodbye Winter Hello Spring Looking For Tulips

Scrren cap from Skagit Breaking News via Facebook

No, that is not what is known as a Luenserized look at a North Texas, or Fort Worth, scene you are looking at here.

The mountain foothills in the distance is one clue this is not a North Texas scene.

That and the huge field of daffodils.

This harbinger of spring flowerly view is from my old home zone of the Skagit Valley, with those daffodils blooming in a field in what is known as the Skagit Flats.

The Skagit Flats is one of the world's most fertile agricultural areas.

Only the Netherlands produces more tulips and tulip bulbs than what grow annually on the Skagit  Flats.

A harsher winter than is the norm, with more rain than is the norm, has slowed up the blooming of the flowers this year on the Skagit Flats.

The annual month long Skagit Valley Tulip Festival brings over a million Tulip Tourists to the Skagit Valley.

I have blogged about the Skagit Tulip Festival a time or two, such as Tiptoeing Through The Skagit Valley Tulips, and way back in 2010, The 27th Annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

I lived in West Mount Vernon way back in the last century during the early years of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. At that point in time I did not like the traffic jams which brought a sort of gridlock to much of the Skagit Flats.

Over the years much of the traffic jam problems have been improved, spreading Tulip Tourists out to more locations, with destinations like Tulip Town, and events in the valley's various towns. And better signage directing incoming tourists to the various freeway exits available.

North Texas gets colorful this time of year too. Not so much via planted fields of flowers, but via Mother Nature in the form of wildflowers.

Spring is the most colorful time of the year to visit Texas...

A Cold Vernal Equinox First Day Of Spring Palm Sunday In Texas

Winter of 2016 is now history. Spring of 2016 is now freshly sprung.

As you can see, via the view from my patio balcony, Spring at my location has sprung with a bright sunny Sunday.

A cold first day of Spring.

Only 37 degrees when the sun arrived this morning. So, the pool was a too cool no go for a first day of Spring refreshing dip.

In addition to today being the Vernal Equinox it is also Palm Sunday. That being the day Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, to be murdered five days later, and then supposedly sprung back to like two days after that, on the day known as Easter.

I think I have my bible story correct. It has been a few decades since I have been in Sunday School....

Spring's Vernal Equinox Arrives With A Flowerful Google Doodle & Texas Thunderstorms

If you go to Google today you see that which you see here, a  flowerful harbinger of Spring.

If you type "Vernal Equinox" into the Google search form, and hit enter, you will see...

Vernal Equinox: New Google Doodle Celebrates First Day of Spring

The vernal equinox, the first day of Spring, is celebrated by a new Google Doodle...Solar Eclipse 2015 Kicks Off a Day of Celestial Events

I don't know where the Solar Eclipse which Google mentions is taking place.

If the sun is being eclipsed at my location on the planet it will go unnoticed due to a thick filter of gray clouds currently blocking visual access to the sun from a ground bound location.

Ever since Wednesday the weather predictors have been predicting rain and thunderstorms for North Texas. However, at my location in North Texas I have heard no thunder booming and have experienced only one very short burst of rain, with that rain bursting in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

Today, that being Friday, March 20, the Vernal Equinox, that day when the sun is half way between the dead of Winter and the height of Summer, marking the start of Spring, I heard via the radio, a few minutes ago, that thunderstorms are currently being spotted all over North Texas, including at the north end of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, in the Denton zone.

With the sky now looking the darkest it has looked during this period of end of Winter gloom, I suspect that today will be the day the weather predictor's prediction of rain and thunderstorms will arrive at my location.

In the meantime, my windows remain open until the actual arrival of inclement weather....

Hot Tub Hydrotherapy Prior To Today's Springing Of The Vernal Equinox

As you can see, via the view from my patio overlook on the outer world, with just a few minutes left in Winter, my hot tub is back full of water and thus providing me much needed hot tub hydrotherapy, of which I availed myself early this morning whilst Winter was still providing a wintry chill.

The hot tub back being hot afforded three semi-lengthy bouts in the still sort of cool pool.

My previously semi-aching arthritic joints are really feeling the benefits of this morning's hydrotherapy. My joints are feeling so good I think I will take them on a bike ride today with the Indian ghosts who haunt Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

If my sources are correct, and they usually are, we may have already reached the Vernal Equinox, or will soon, like within the hour, beginning the period where the sun is ever higher in the sky til it reaches the Summer Solstice part of the cycle to begin its long Fall back to Winter.

With the arrival of Spring we should soon see the regularly scheduled arrival of wildflowers, with that arrival being the most colorful time of the year in Texas.

I saw one outbreak of wildflowers on the Tandy Hills yesterday, but they were not colorful enough to motivate me to photo document them.

The First Day Of Spring On The Tandy Hills With The Green Source DFW Sustainable Leadership Award For Grass Roots Non-Profit Organization

Late last night I learned from future Marfians, Don & Debra Young, that the Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area were celebrating the arrival of the Vernal Equinox a day early due to having been awarded the coveted Green Source DFW Sustainable Leadership Award for Grass Roots Non-Profit Organization.

The award appears to be a rather impressive trophy.

I do not know if the Green Source DFW Sustainable Leadership Award for Grass Roots Non-Profit Organization award trophy will be on display at the Tandy Hills Prairie Fest on Saturday, April 27.

I suspect it will.

I do know that I am likely going to be doing some hill hiking today on the Tandy Hills for my own personal celebration of the First Day of Spring.

Getting Books Via My Fort Worth Greenbelt With Blue & My Bird Watching Nephews & Niece

In the picture you are looking at my East Fort Worth Neighborhood's Greenbelt.

As you can see, the Greenbelt is getting very green. Almost Emerald.

I wonder if all the negative ions buzzing overheard somehow help amp up the ultra greening?

I was in need of books, so today I took the Greenbelt route to my nearby East Regional Fort Worth Library. This seemed like a very time efficient thing to be doing, combining my daily endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation with a trip to the library.

I was about to walk into the library when I got a call from Miss Puerto Rico.

Miss Puerto Rico was hoping I could get her a bottle of her non-prescription nerve calming medicine. I told Miss Puerto Rico I was not in a motorized conveyance and was no where near her medicine supplier.

Two days til Spring springs. The Vernal Equinox is still on schedule to arrive March 20. I think about the only thing that could stop this from happening would be a big meteorite striking the planet causing an axis wobble.

Speaking of wobbling axis. This morning was the second day in a row I was able to stay in my cool pool as long as I wanted without getting too cool. I think we may have reached that time of the year where I can rely on going swimming for a good early morning dose of endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation.

Changing the subject from swimming to German Blitzkriegs.

I have had an inquiry, or two, asking how my poodle nephew, Blue is doing. A couple weeks ago I blogged about Blue being the victim of a savage German Shepherd attack.

This morning I asked one of Blue's parental units how he is doing. Max & Blue had not been blogging lately so I was a bit concerned. Well, Blue is doing well. The wounds have scabbed over. Blue is no longer wearing the Cone of Shame.

Changing the subject from Blue to my niece and nephews who Blue  & Max look after.

In the picture that is nephew David on the left, niece Ruby in the middle, with nephew Theo on the right.

No, the kids are not looking out the window at Blue. They are looking out the window at their bird feeder. Apparently the kids spend a lot of time monitoring their bird feeder, even when there are no birds feeding.

This particular bird feeder is in Blue & Max's backyard. A second bird feeder has been added to the front yard. I suspect there is a lot of running back and forth between the backyard and frontyard views.

Changing the subject from bird feeders to me going to the Pacific Northwest for a visit.

This afternoon I heard from my favorite ex-sister-in-law regarding me making a visit to the Skagit Valley. A hike in Anacortes was mentioned, among other things.

You who live in the D/FW zone and have never hiked in a scenic location, well, just the mention of hiking in Anacortes got me feeling homesick.

On the subject of flying out of here. Christmas before last I acquired a Southwest Airlines gift card. A couple days ago I was in the hot tub and suddenly I thought to myself I had not seen that gift card in a long time and did not know where it was. Two days later I still have not found it. I suspect I had a sleepwalking incident and hid it somewhere. Or threw it away.