The end of winter

 We had cold weather the last week of February — overnight lows in the 30s. But just before the end of the month, I saw swallows over the lake near the 24^th Street Bridge. The bridge is their favorite nesting place around here. And, in the few years I’ve been here, February is the month they arrive.

Every spring and summer, these acrobats swarm over the still water, snapping up flies as they hatch. Then, one day in late fall, they’re gone.

The swallows, I guess, are a sign to me that spring is just about here.

Other signs: Most of the grass is brown, but some green is beginning to appear. Most trees are bare, but a few are putting out leaves.

But the huisache, that lovely little tree, is already full of yellow flowers.