ah, beautiful morning

living in new york has introduced me to the true exhileration of spring. yes, spring is beautiful in california when it rolls around in mid-january. but so is summer and fall and winter--in a here's a different kind of flower way. in new york you can appreciate the quiet blanketing of snow, feel awed by the slicing power of the cold wind of winter, dig the monochromatic black white and grey color scheme. but green of grass or colors in flowers? you won't see any of in winter. it may sound sad, but the silver lining to a severe winter is the total euphoria experienced when this city starts to thaw. even prussia feels it, running from window to window, sniffing the warmer air, freaking out about the sudden symphony of ecstatic birds. no matter how goth our winter-loving souls are, we are all singing for spring.

one of my favorite traditions of new york city spring is opening day of greenpoint little league, and the myriad of little random brooklyn neighborhood parades in general. they are always a surprise. they are not advertised. you are simply suddenly barraged with the sound of snare drums and brass coming ever closer as legions of pipsqueaks carrying banners dressed in miniature baseball uniforms waddle and march down nassau avenue. these parades used to wake me up from surreal slumber, but alas, in my old age, they now hit me around breakfast time. when i heard the drums this morning i immediately smiled, the sunshine intensified, and out the back window i noticed my neighbors grass had turned green, the forsythia bushes bright yellow and the magnolias a bright pink. the farmer's market at mc garren park grows in booths by the week (in winter you will only find the yogurt, the bread and the apple people shivering around pots of hot cider) and the hipsters come out to prep-their tans. ah...spring.

okay, so maybe not the perfect choice of image--the little leagues are more of a moving crowd than a spectating crowd. this was the nyc marathon back in november....