April 8, 2013 Photo of the day: "Hope springs..."

After a taste of spring and sensory overload last week in France, it was hard to come back to the same gray, chilly Wisconsin spring. Rain and even the s word are predicted for the rest of the week, affirming T.S. Eliot's observation that "April is the cruelest month" (The Wasteland). Yet this afternoon, I noticed tender pink-tipped tulip leaves pushing through the weathered mulch. The image may not be beautiful, but the promise of colorful, fragrant blooms is enough for now.