Abby and I went for a walk on Monday. It was so different from the week before where we had seen only a few patches of gravel among all the snow still on the path. We had several days of completely above zero weather at the end of last week and by Monday the snow was gone except for a few patches in the shadiest spots. Other signs of spring were also noticeable: water running across the path, the smell of dirt and sunshine, the first hints growing things, the voices of newly arrived birds, even a few insects already awake ...