But then the harsh winter months of late January and February hit... and I find myself incredibly antsy for Spring Break. I ache to see the sun shine--really shine--not the milk-glass- cloudy-grey sky that forms a gloomy canopy over our heads for all the winter months. I long to feel warmer breezes--not steely- knife-edged bitter chills that stab through skin, and bone, to marrow. And my nose yearns to inhale fresh earth, new grass, budding and blooming flowers--not the seemingly innocuous, odorless "non-aroma" of dirty snow or the acrid chemical smell of road salt and the diesel fumes of snow plows.

And so, here we find ourselves, precariously perched between the glory of a Christmas past and the enticing hope of a full-blown- full-bloom Spring. We are... "In Between."

I don't really have any plans for Spring Break. Typically, I am indoors a lot... doing my taxes. Ironic that I would so look forward to a break that drags with it the stresses of winding up a year's worth of family finances. But... every chance I get during Spring Break I play hooky from the drudgery of paying my pound of flesh to Uncle Sam.

And I escape. Like a bird from a cage, or a torrent of water flooding from a broken dam, my life bursts into the outdoors to enjoy, absorb, and revel in a change of season that somehow almost miraculously brings to an end the drudgery of winter and ushers in the re-energizing, reviving power of change. Yes, I have been known to fire up the motorcycle and feel the wind in my face--a face with an uncharacteristic smile as big as the Cheshire Cat's.

So, if you are like me... stuck in the land of "In Between"... be patient. Spring Break is just around the corner. Just don't waste it doing your taxes.