Spring has come quite early to eastern Pennslyvania. Daffodils are already blooming. Tulips are coming up (unfortunately our beagle thinks he is a goat and eats the emerging shoots). Snowdrops have finished blooming — that happened in late January. Raspberry canes are budding as are lilacs, hydrangea, azaleas. I have seen cherry trees blooming and even some magnolias opening up their flowers.

Last weekend, I cleaned out the garden and distributed a bag of mushroom compost on a section. Then I planted shallots bulbs, beet seeds, and lettuce seeds. It is much too early to be planting anything. But there we have it.

It is hard to believe that with all the flowers coming up that we are in this very scary time when neighbors stand six feet or more away. When they cross the street so we don’t brush by each other on the sidewalk. When students are not in school. When proms and graduations are canceled.

The students are particularly stunned. My high school students disbelieve this new reality.

They ask me when we will be back in class together discussing books like Frankenstein and Song of Solomon.

They ask me if we will have school after spring break.

I just shake my head and shrug.