Signs of Spring?

Inspired by Burgh Baby's Mom, and frankly, green with envy, I went on my own little hunt today to see if I could find ANY evidence of spring in these here parts.

Spring? Anybody seen spring?

These are the winter boots I am SO over. They haven't seen spring. They have however, had their eye on some cute shoe named Mary Jane in the Lands End catalogue, and are hoping she can come over and play soon!

This is my ruler stuck in the drift behind our house. It has no idea where spring is. Buried under 33" of snow perhaps?

This is the thermometer by the back door. It's trying to FOOL you into thinking it's seen spring, because it's hovering above zero, but truth be told, you are fooling NO ONE Mister Thermometer! Tell your friend Mr Wind Chill Factor to take a fricking hike and then we'll talk again. Punk.
But hold on...wait a moment....what's this??

Is this a bud I see before me, the tip towards the sun? Or art thou but a bud of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-deprived brain?

Nope, methinks your real!

And look, you have friends!

Hell, even the pussy willows are trying SOOO hard to come out and play!
Maybe, just maybe it's on it's way. I make no illusions that it's actually HERE, but these few small signs of hope are keeping me from burying my very cold head, with my very dry scalp, in a very deep snow drift.