So the temperature was in the 60s yesterday. When you opened the door you were greeted by the smell of rain and a warm, gentle wind.

I thought it the perfect excuse to walk to the mailbox. I took the little girls with me, and Chanya sat bolt upright in her stroller, wide-eyed at the great outdoors. ‘Do you know that man?’ Imani asked as we walked past the Glover’s house. I spoke to her as though I knew what she was talking about. The street was empty. “Yes,” I told her, “Mr. Glover gave all of you a silver dollar when you were born. Or was that when Esteban was born?” The girls remembered their friendly neighbor with the boisterous laugh and immaculate lawn.

The snow was piled high at the edge of driveways and yards. It was tinged black like usual at this time of the year. Imani tried to navigate the huge puddles on the street. She thought she could carefully step through them in her all-weather mocs and long sweat pants.

I lead everyone to the sidewalk after we’d left our cul de sac. Joy had dropped back from her lead and squealed when she reached the sidewalk. “I can’t go because of my socks!” I told her to stay on the street, and we’d meet her in a second. I forced the stroller through the slushy snow on the nearest driveway so Imani and I could rejoin Joy on the street.

Once on the heavier trafficked street, we could see paper and pieces of boxes stuck in the black snow at the side of the road. It looked like the debris from a recent recycling day. Huge puddles flanked both sides of the road, forcing us further into the street than I would have liked.

The sidewalk closest to the mailbox was clear. We walked the length of it to the mailbox. There’s a pretty red clapboard house next to two old houses with high columns. Joy noticed the firehouse behind the mailbox.

Usually, the walk to the mailbox is punctuated by dogs barking along the way. We didn’t see any dogs this time, and the only people we saw were driving.

The neighborhood is slowly waking to spring, though. Later in the day, we saw Ellie and Nate–much taller after wintering indoors. Nancy next door came outside with her shipoo, Allie. She looked happy to have the dog as her excuse to enjoy the warm air.

And just like that, the air grew a little colder as it came closer to sunset. We all went back indoors, hoping to not catch cold.