Today is a gift from Mother Nature. The sun is bright and strong and the small amount of snow we had is quickly melting away in tiny streams that fill me with the excitement of spring. But it is not spring, the farms in the distance are quiet, waiting for the real spring to jump to life. Birds are happily chirping and crows happily caw on high. The pile of wood on our porch is still quite large and Vanilla has wandered out to his pasture to nibble and investigate, something that was not possible last year.