the snow melted this weekend, grass appeared, and we all stopped wearing winter coats.benjamin and i even took a walk at the cobbs hill reservoir (along with half the city), because it was just so darn pretty outside. (we saw all the "oh, it's winter, no one will notice" dog leavings, too!)
but--and this is important--it's not spring. it's march 14th today, which means it's most definitely still winter in rochester. it's critical that no one start thinking, "hurrah, no more snow!" because we will have more snow, probably lots, before the real spring starts. raising one's hopes for warmth in the middle of march is never a good idea in upstate new york.
even so, it's awfully nice while it lasts. it's a little strange to drive home from work in broad daylight, but you won't find me complaining. it's nice to just get in the car and drive on monday morning, instead of spending ten minutes warming up the car and brushing the snow off and kicking yourself for not leaving early, again. it's even nicer to not have to shove the car out of its snowbank. and to be able to drive the speed limit in residential areas and know the car will, in fact, stop at the next stop sign.
i like snow. ask anyone. i like to ski, i like to build snow forts, i like to walk during snowfalls. but spring--once it arrives for good--will be very nice.