What could be more sublime than Nature's gift of grace in this Northern Hemisphere, finally ushering in the return of Spring. Awakening of a Saturday morning to a day flush with the brightness of full sun, and warming temperatures.

After a leisurely breakfast, with adequate time for the chill of overnight to dissipate, we venture out into our backyard garden with our two little dogs, to look about us and evaluate what another 24 hours has wrought.

Imagine that, after the long, dull days of icy winter with its down-jacket imperatives, able to venture out-of-doors, finally, sans jacket into the newly-benign micro-climate of our backyard.

Irresistible fragrances for our little dogs to pursue and delight them, while we ventured here and there, assessing the state of the emerging garden. The bergenia leaves, fresh, green-and-red soon to send up their flower stalks. The emergence of fresh green day-lilies.

And over there, those tiny early-spring purple-iris look-alikes. And can it possibly be? A small honey bee, busy within the interiors of those minuscule flowers, luxuriantly afoot in pollen.