Springtime in the Middle of Winter!

"May the good Lord be with you
Down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness
Surround you when you're far from home."

It was a February day that took a page out of April's playbook. It was warm and sunny and beautiful, with temperatures hovering around 60 degrees F in the afternoon. The snow melted. People came outdoors and turned their faces to the sun, and smiled. Winter loosened its grip. We all felt young again.

My husband and I had errands to run in town, and we took care of what we needed to. And then we took a back way home and stopped at Fairbrook Park, a little country park on the edge of town. We just discovered the little park in December, and it is charming, with paths for hiking or running, situated on the edge of golden, wide-open farm fields.

We walked to the edge of the big sprawling field and came upon an interestingly shaped tree that my husband explained was the reason why he had brought me to this exact spot. He thought I might want some photos of the tree in monochrome, but I found it worked better in color! Yes, I was kneeling down in the mud of a farm field to get the main shot. :-)

A lot of the snow has melted but there were still white piles in the shade. So my husband made me a tiny snowman, which we immediately named Cousin Paddy, as we always do. Many years ago, we made a tiny snowman in Sproul State Forest and named it thus, after this clip from Throw Momma From the Train. And he sat it on the fence rail, from which it waved charmingly at us. (See photo in the extras.)

Eventually, we went home, as we always do. And I got a front-row seat as my husband provided the late-afternoon snack for Binky Bunzini (see extra photo). I watched from inside the downstairs windows while the bunny said hello, ate its snack, took a tiny bath, and then ventured off to take care of other undisclosed but important bunny business in the yard. :-)

And for those of you who may not believe that I actually sit in the back seat of my Mazda after dinner with Dexter for a few minutes each day, there is photographic proof in the extras. My husband saw us sitting there and thought we looked so cute that he went and nabbed my camera and took a few shots. So you may see one of those pictures in the extras, too: Dexter and me, just chillin', pretending to go zoom-zoom!. :-)

Overall, it was a fine and delicious and happy day! We got some exercise, had some laughs, and enjoyed the company of one bunny and one cat. As one does. :-)  And so we will let the song to accompany this wonderful day be a happy one. This is the first song that came on the radio as we got in my car and left Fairbrook Park: Rod Stewart, with Forever Young (the lyrics above are from the same song, as are the ones below). This is a song I absolutely ADORE and so I'm including several versions: the official video, an acoustic version, and one of Rod singing it with his daughter Ruby, who's a hottie. :-) Enjoy!

"And may you grow to be proud
Dignified and true
And do unto others
As you'd have done to you
Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart you'll always stay
Forever young."