Spring weather came by, did you see it?

Hi neighbors.

There have been signs for almost two weeks: robins dive-bombing each other, sparrows collecting twigs, squirrels acting like spastic ninjas, children chasing each other around at the bus stops. These are all typical spring phenomena.

One day last week I actually left my screen door open almost twenty minutes. The next day I was scraping ice off the car windshield.

Does this sound like spring in Missouri? It sounds more like early March or late February weather. The seasons are not set in stone, of course, and unpredictable weather is a classic joke all over the country -- probably all around the world.

But still, in hindsight, didn't things (even the weather) seem a bit more reliable and predictable? Maybe it is just nostalgia over my youth. Actually, like most children and young adults, I don't recall paying a lot of attention to the weather in the past.

When I was school age, bad weather with lots of snow was a time to celebrate. No school! That gave us time for more enjoyable pastimes. Including time to make snowmen, go sledding, have snow ball fights and -- at least for my brother -- go rabbit hunting.

If the freeze lasted long enough, we could go ice skating on my grandmother's pond. It was usually less than a foot deep in the winter so there was no danger; other than a twisted ankle now and then.

As I moved into the working world, my only recognition of winter was scraping my windshield before work and the worry over slick roads and treacherous parking lots at work.

I'm looking forward to the joy of sitting in my warm house, sipping coffee and enjoying winter the only sane way -- from my chair on the heated side of the windows.

Spring was always heralded with dandelions popping up over night. If you ventured into the meadows you'd find lamb's quarter and poke once the ground warmed up a little.

Bushes burst into bloom, flowers start dotting the landscape with color. Ah yes, spring!

For posterity let me explain that in Midwestern United States there are now (2014) still four seasons a year that predictably and reliably run in succession: winter, spring, summer and fall.

Each season has its own recognizable weather patterns, with familiar flora and fauna visible to all who look for them.

The seasons of time and of each life span are predictable, expected in their own time, and anticipated by humans and wildlife alike.

Just for the record, wet and dry seasons are not the norm in Missouri right now. I see a trend toward that type of weather patterns coming our way though.

It's good to remember, however, that weather patterns follow longer cycles than seasons. The coldest winters on record, the hottest summers on record, are not the standards by which to judge global weather patterns.

There have historically been long periods of different than 'normal' weather changes over the last couple of thousand years. Things happened back then that man-created global warming couldn't be blamed for.

Due to one reason or any of a hundred others, the climate on Earth has changed in the past and is very likely to change in the future.

There is some good news. Historically those creatures that are adaptable and aware, including humans as a species, are likely to survive whatever comes along.

Until the next time friends remember to be happy waiting for spring. We just need to be patient.

Odds are highly likely it will arrive this year in fact as well as on paper.