Signs of spring - and back to winter

We have had some crazy ups and downs with weather here in the DC area. On Monday of the week the nandina bush photo was taken, it snowed several inches. Great sledding on our slope in our yard, which we otherwise don't love.

By Friday of that week, March 6, we were all melted and looking at new growth. Then on Sunday morning, the first day of daylight savfings time, my son wanted to try out his new helmet, so there we were biking around the neighborhood before 9 a.m., in sandals, in front of crocuses (other people's have been blooming for a few weeks, but our front yard faces north and takes a long time. First come the yellow/orange. In a week I expect the purple). It felt almost steamy later that day! We started a few seedlings to bring inside.

What a shock to the system then today to be were back to mittens and hats after some wicked wind brought a new system. It is still March, after all, I know. And every year is different. When I was pregnant in 2006, the pear trees were already blooming by now (I know because we took photos outside looking up at my huge belly). But I've also seen snow the last week of March, and my husband has run in three very chilly Cherry Blossom 10-Milers. This year the cherry blossoms are expected to be about a week behind the peak of March 29ish as it's been the past three years -- peak bloom is predicted as April 3-9.