Has Spring Really Sprung Here In SE MN?

After another long, cold winter, I'm looking forward to some warmer weather, and I'll take any even the slightest sign as proof that Spring might have finally arrived here in southeastern Minnesota.

Sure, we had a string of warm weather a few weeks ago. Of course, it also snowed about 4 inches a week or so later. So, after Wednesday's warm temperatures and first thunderstorm of the season, has Spring really sprung?

Well, I don't know for sure, but there are definitely some positive signs I noticed earlier Thursday morning. The first is that it's now April. Sure, we can still get snow in April (and in May, even -- as that freak snowstorm of May 2nd, 2013 showed us), but the month of April really means Spring, doesn't it? (What with all those April showers, right?)

A second sign I think it might be spring is how, virtually overnight, things turned a slight shade of green. I remember my grandpa always saying that a thunderstorm (like we had last night) always helps green things up -- something about the nitrogen in the soil being affected by the lightening. Well, sure enough, I noticed the matted-down and dormant grass in our backyard this morning did have a slight green tint to it.

Finally, here's yet another sign we might have finally turned the corner to spring. Yes, in the landscaping along our front steps, I noticed a tiny little daffodil, already poking its yellow head up through the mostly barren surroundings. If that doesn't say Spring, I don't know what does!