Friday through today have continued to be dazzling in their balmy beauty, tempting us and the azalea bushes to believe that spring is here to stay. Regardless of the date on the calendar, we here in North Central Florida consider spring as having arrived after the last freeze. There are two adages about spring attributed to local farmers:
Freezes aren’t over until the pecan trees bloom.
Always a chance of a freeze until Easter.
I am sure local historians could prove or disprove those statements with many examples of freezes occurring after pecan buds and Easter bonnets were spotted but based on my thirty-five years of living in this area, both adages have consistently been true. Although the azaleas are in full bloom, we know they are befuddled flowers and we can’t accept their blossoming as any more than a seasonal trick. Since I have yet to see a pecan tree in bloom and Easter is exactly three months away, I wager we will have several more freezes before Easter Sunday, as sad as that will be for the azaleas.
