Signs of Spring

Signs of spring surround us. We can't escape the sneezing and stuffy noses that herald allergy season. Store shelves are brimming with bright-colored candied eggs and chocolate bunnies. Sales tags betray store buyers' optimism post-passover. (We literally just bought 5 - 1 lb. boxes of matzah for $2.49! Who doesn't love a nice Jewish bargain?) And the lush green hills and flowers all but make us forget the drought that continues to prey on agricultural land in other parts of the state. Nothing so encompasses the taste of spring for me as a bowl of matzah ball soup. Just right after a day planting a tender patio garden. Perfect for evenings still tempered by a chill but light enough to have us looking ahead to summer's warm tomorrows.