A New Year

I like the four seasons. Some of my friends on the west coast scoff at this idea, but I like the seasonal changes and I like the cycle. Summer is always welcomed even with the heat and humidity of Washington, D.C. Just being out and about is a pleasure. There’s hiking, boating, the beach, baseball, crabs and beer.

Fall is great. I always look forward to Redskins football, a nip in the air, the beautiful pallate of the changing leaves, fresh cider, Nittany apples, and Thanksgiving.

I wouldn’t say I welcome winter, but winter provides it’s own special pleasures. It’s a time to curl up indoors with a good book, and it's a good time to bake some bread or sit by a crackling fire. And you can’t not like the Christmas and New Year celebrations, a bowl of hot soup on a cold winter day, and, of course, Maryland basketball.

But spring…pure joy! It’s an awakening, a renewal, and a breath of fresh air and the beginning of the cycle. Hyacinths, daffodils, cherry blossoms, and crowds of people in shirt sleeves outside the Barnes and Noble in Bethesda soaking up the sun... The first day of spring should be the first day of the year. Happy New Year!