The rains have “bathed every vein in such liquor, of which virtue engendered is the flower”  as Chaucer said of April – but here it happens at the beginning of March, not the April of England,  And this year everything is greener and wilder than ever.    Everywhere we go, the smells are overwhelming.  Animals appear from nowhere.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Flowers burst out of unexpected places.           Besides the lushness, the sense of regrowth, what’s different?  We’re so anxious to escape the news as much as possible that everyone was out in nature.   Some of the refugees who have reached our borders seem to have local relatives.  But many have been caught at the border while their heritage is being checked – of course, there are donations and contributions but there is not enough information about what can be done to help.  So we escape to the wonders of  blooming nature, knowing we have to capture the good times while we can