Looking at the hillsides all around us we are seeing green spreading as the dormant grasses are returning to life. The green hue is also showing in up in the new leaves on trees as one looks across the pasture. Considering that we are still in a severe multi-year drought we will take and enjoy any bits of green we can get. It begs the question of whether this will be the year to break the drought. Time will tell as the weather warms and we move on toward summer. We have had some relatively warm days and small amounts of rain that could mean the end of winter, but old time Germans in our community are fond of saying, “if it thunders in January, we will have a freeze in April.” Shall we take wagers? I hear there are cooler temps predicted, and I think I’ll go with the Omas and Opas of Fredericksburg, they have a direct line to Mother Nature.