We awoke in Cincinnati this morning under clear skies and enveloped in balmy air; the temperature was 60 degrees F. By mid morning, as we prepared to return to Missouri, the leading edge of a storm system arrived with intense lightening, torrential rain and pea sized hail.
Taking the northern route through Indianapolis, we managed to dodge most of the severe weather, and continued west under puffy white clouds in a hazy, blue sky; stopping for gas in western Indiana, we stepped from our air-conditioned car into summer-like heat. All across the till plains, meadows were greening, barren fields shimmered with the purple of henbit and early fruit trees were in bloom. Canada geese were nesting along the farm ponds, killdeer raced along the shallow sloughs and mourning doves cuddled on the powerlines, swaying in a mild, south breeze.
After crossing another band of storms in eastern Missouri, we arrived in Columbia to find the magnolias and wild cherries in bloom and the community in full summer mode. Though only mid March, the foliage is typical of early April and the warm, humid air evokes the feel of May. Unless a few Canadian fronts invade the Heartland over the coming months, we'll be sick of summer by June.
