Sitting here contemplating thoughts of spring (one of the many pleasures that come with living in a Southern climate) brings pause and wonder to those in the far North. Oh yes, the Winter Olympics are upon us, and we could not do that without those "Frozen Chosen" who dwell in the colder regions. It is probably true that those of the colder climate are slower to anger than the sun baked refugees around the equator as well.

Isn't it a lovely time when the earth throws off her blanket of snow and arrays herself in all the beautiful garments of this new season? Ah spring; The birth of new things are in the air. New hopes and expectations of the coming summer with fields ablaze in their spectacular splash of color. Each flower seems to compete with their neighbor, saying, 'Oh look at me, I am the most beautiful in all the fields.

The time of year when the pant legs shorten, and the skin takes on a healthy look, with its promise of carcinoma to be. What a wonderful time to dust off the lawn furniture, clean the pool, scrape the grill and get out the lemonade pitcher.

As the days slowly grow longer, with the familiar sounds of the evening crickets serenading the stars . . .

Oh, and yes, there is the other side as well: mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, fire ants, tremendous cooling cost, overheating automobiles, sunburns, broken air conditioning units, and sweat!

Okay, maybe we can draw a happy medium here and be thankful that the days are not quite as cold, and the fireplace still crackles in the evenings as we watch the skiers careen down the hills towards the Golden sunsets of Salt Lake.