So I'm driving to work the other day and when I get out of my car to walk inside, I accidentally breathed in the purest scent of heaven I've ever smelled. Well, I was pretty darn surprised to find heaven just laying around in the middle of Salem, but I suppose heaven can be anywhere it darn well wishes to be, can't it?

Of course, I should have been MORE surprised that I was smelling anything at all. Because it is finally Spring. And I think folks have been keeping a very big secret all these years-- Spring is BEAUTIFUL in the Pacific NW.

That morning, I smelled the damp warmth that comes from rich earth soaked with a soft rain. I smelled the blossoms of plum trees in two fantastic shades. I smelled the dew on the grass and the warmth of the sun curving around the eastern edge of the earth. That's right-- I smelled the sunshine. Because it's Spring. And I think, with Spring, up here, I finally understand what it is to have bear magic.