Declaration of Independence...from Winter

I'm done with winter. At last I am satisfied that the temperatures are very unlikely to drop below freezing until at least October. And it has been a heck of a winter, too. The newspaper reported that 2009-10 was the third coldest winter since I moved here twenty years ago. We had an astonishing 69 days where the temperature dropped below 32 degrees F. But the long range forecast suggests that our usual pattern has resumed, that freezes are behind us, and that my equipment needs must change. And yesterday I spooled up the all-weather extension cords (150' of same) and cleaned and packed up the bird bath deicers. No more unsightly green cords draped across the yard! And while I attended to this welcome task, I was reassured by the other signs of spring. Chorus frogs calling. Red maple in bloom. Northern Cardinals making territorial calls. Green(er) grass and sunflower shoots coming up. What a great time of year!