First Official Spring Evening

The warmth and bright daylight when I got off work yesterday was intoxicating. I just wanted to roll around in it. I planned to go sit outside in the front yard as soon as I got home but I got sucked into watching the news and the early primary returns. Eventually, after our first grilled chicken of the season (spatchcocked, covered with smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and smoked on a covered weber grill) and watching far too much political commentary I decided to go upstairs and read for a bit. It had been a tiring day at work and I was ready for the cocoon of my bed.

When I got upstairs I went over to the north window in our bedroom to open it up a bit so I could feel the lovely air coming through. I thought I saw a flash so I stood there for a moment until I saw it again. LIGHTNING! The first of the season! I scurried back to Owen's room and stuck my head in and told him there was lightning and that we should go out and sit in the front yard. He said he'd be down in a bit and I trotted downstairs and told Ernie and he went and shouted to Leo in the shower. Soon we were all assembled outside in the front yard, sitting around the table watching the  skies. When we first got out there the sky overhead was as crisp and clear as you could imagine. The stars and the crescent moon looked as though they were hovering just above us. As we sat there and shivered a bit as the winds picked up, the clouds blew in faster than seemed possible. We watched the sky flashing and saw occasional streaks of lightning but it passed north of us. Owen and I headed inside first. As I lay in bed reading upstairs I could hear the soft rumble of Leo and Ernie's conversation from the yard. 

Lovely. The first official spring evening.