On our leisurely walk around Motovun this afternoon, we stopped by many a tall tree. I checked their branches over and over again. They were all in bud already. Even the chestnut trees on the hotel terrace were ready for the spring. And I was left wondering once again. Should I rejoice or should I despair? Although it is quite likely that there will be a few more bouts of freezing weather during the so-called winter, the trees cannot be all that crazy, either. Perhaps their leaves and flowers will make it through the nasty spells. This is what Mother Nature must be telling them, anyway. “Go,” I can almost hear her, “you’ll make it!” One way or the other, the trees are following her advice. And many of them are far from young to be fooled easily. Indeed, the chestnuts are about a century old. If anyone can fool them, it is Mother Nature herself. I, too, cannot but trust her whisper in the end. Yes, it is time to rejoice. The spring is nigh!