The most wonderful time of the year

While some of you may associate "the most wonderful time of the year" with a song by that same name (which will be stuck in your head for the next three hours- you're welcome!), and Christmas, for me, the most wonderful time of the year is now. Ironically, it (now) also has the honor of holding a shared first place in "worst times of the year", i.e., it's nearing the end of the semester, but that, oddly enough, only makes these few weeks even more enjoyable.

You see, it's spring. And spring time in Georgia is truly the best time of the year.

I knew it started last week when I opened our bedroom window, turned to my husband, and said, "What in the tarnation is that racket out there?"
Actually, I didn't say exactly that, but I thought a little southern vernacular would put you all in the right frame of mind.
Anyway, as it turns out, the sound that was coming in through our window as loud as the best possible white noise maker one can buy were crickets. I love crickets. I've loved them from the nights they would lull me to sleep in France, and I've loved them ever since. Yes, they're loud, and creepy on account of that they're bugs and will thus crawl on you if they can, but they're also the first sure sign summer is on the way. And that makes up for all their creepy-crawly-ickyness.

Hearing crickets in Georgia means summer is right around the corner, but before some serious stickiness wafts over middle Georgia like a thick, wet blanket, everyone gets to enjoy a few weeks of sunny skies, balmy temperatures, and bug-free porches. Although the trees have just about shed their last blossoms, the bright green leaves look like new, and all of our bushes are covered in purple, pink, and red flowers. We've eaten outside almost every night last week, we've had all of our windows open as much as possible, and enjoyed trimming our trees and bushes without the need to run inside to cool off and avert a heatstroke every five minutes. It's absolutely gorgeous.

Of course, there are also piles and piles of papers to grade, rough drafts to comment on, portfolios to assess, and finals to prepare. But the fact that a) it's spring, and b) this means the semester so close to being over, you can almost taste it, makes up for all the long, long hours. 

So, yes, it's the most wonderful time of the year.
Now excuse me while I get back to my grading.