First harbingers of spring

I'm inserting a little note here in the middle of my travel log to let you know that winter really is almost over in Hays. I know this because yesterday--a perfectly spring-like day--I saw the first Siberian irises in the flower beds. Their electric blue flowers make me smile every time I see them. They're only about four inches tall, but they stand bravely through the last wintery blasts (blowing in even as I write this).