Spring has sprung!

Yes, I know the calendar said spring arrived a few weeks ago, but the calendar doesn't convince me it's spring like the following signs I've been observing recently:

• My daffodils are blooming, and my new maple tree has leaves! (This is a relief, as the first tree we planted in that location didn't leaf out.)
• Our neighborhood is filled with flowering crabapple trees. There are white buds everywhere; I really should get a picture of the long stretch of Sheldon Center Road that has dozens of them lining the street. It's quite a sight in the spring (and in the fall).
• I saw a great blue heron last week! They migrate out of the area in late fall, so when I see their pterodactyl-like silhouette in the sky, I know the cold days are mostly gone.
• The sun comes up soon after I get up, and sunset holds off until I'm done with most of my activities, so I don't feel like a cave-dweller any more.

There are also a few less-exciting signs that spring is here:

• The Road-Kill Rodeo is in full swing! Over the last couple of weeks, I've seen an increasing number of squished animals on my weekly drive to Ann Arbor. Mostly raccoons, but also including deer, possum, squirrel, skunk, and one kitty.
• The fur is flying! Better that than more furballs (which also increase this time of year), but yesterday I brushed the cat for five minutes and ended up with half a dozen brushfuls of orange fur, which the stupid cat tried to eat.
• Ants. In my kitchen. Not a lot of them, and not the big ones (thank goodness), but enough to be irritating and call the exterminator.

Those are minor annoyances, though; it's worth it to have warm sun shining through my (sometimes open!) window as I work at my computer. So hooray for spring!