Springtime in Jersey

I think I'm developing a new appreciation for spring. This is probably because in New Jersey, spring is a real season. It was never a real season in Newfoundland, just the move from slush to mud (and often back to slush again). Spring was more spring-like in Nova Scotia, but even then, it was like "mini-spring." I remember over the last few years, visiting the Queen of Sheba and the Grand Poobah of Culinary Delights when their magnolia was in bloom. I'm sure it was later than the middle of April when that happened. But two weeks ago, here in New Jersey, the magnolias has come and gone. I walked through the fallen petals of their flowers on my way to the grocery store. And the lilacs are already opening. Now if I could get my chapter to bloom, we'd be all set.