Spring Arrives, as Does Quilt Camp!

I only have time for a quick blog post this morning.  But there's more time than a week ago, when I would be heading down to Spartanburg early, to interview for the job that I got.  When I left the house on Thursday to go to campus, I was an adjunct.  When I returned to the house, I had been offered a one year lectureship.  Hurrah for days that go that way.

Today we are back to chillier temperatures, more seasonal for March, which means a grumpier spouse.  But happily, we're at the time of year where it's not chilly like this for long.  He will grumble regardless, and I am under no illusion that I can change the weather, so this is a problem I spend no time wondering how to solve.

Many of the puzzles/problems in my life would probably benefit from this kind of thinking.  I can change very little, and that becomes truer, the further away I get from problems that are mine alone.  I am a believer in the power of groups to change geopolitical situations, but I think that most groups don't have a realistic sense of how long that takes.

I think of the trees and plants that bud and bloom because of the change in light.  They are likely protected from these changes in temperature.  Global warming hasn't changed those patterns.  I think of trees and plants that put out buds and blooms when it's warm enough.  They may suffer damage.

I'm also thinking of the readings about cherry blossoms that I did last year.  The process from bud to bloom had started, and we had some cold nights just before the peak.  But they survived.  They can survive temperatures right at freezing, but when it dips into the 20's, that's when they're at risk, particularly if the temps are in the 20's for several hours.  I remember looking at the hourly forecast, hoping that they might beat the odds.  Last year, they did.

And this year, our flowering trees will probably be fine too.  For all my spouse's grumbling, it's not going to be that cold for that long each night.  

Happy vernal equinox!  Spring arrives tonight, at 11:06 in my Eastern time zone.  

It's also the first day of Quilt Camp.  Will I put a top together?  Will I start a different project?  Tonight I plan to sort through my bags and baskets and try to remember what I had in mind last November, the last time that I was working with fabric on a regular basis.  It's hard to work in a house that's under construction.  

But first, teaching awaits.  I'll go down to Spartanburg Methodist, teach my students, and then drive back, stopping in at the Faith Center to claim my table.  It's going to be a great week!