Sign #1 that spring is here - little green plants.

It's been refreshingly warm this weekend, and much of New York was out and about enjoying the fruits of Mother Nature. Monday is looking bleak (for reasons other than the weather), so I am thankful that today's forecast was free of rain and clouds.

Out for a walk, I noticed new life poking its head through the pale, grayish mulch in Tompkins Square Park. Hopefully these are daffodils, a continuing tribute to 9/11 and something I did not know about before researching for this post. I have a new found sense of appreciation for the otherwise overused trumpeting spring flower.

The park itself continues to be a reflection of the neighborhood; diverse classes of individuals co-existing in a common space. Long standing users take up most of the southeast corner, inhabiting the chess tables as either places for friendly competition or cold concrete beds. The basketball courts are swarmed by kids doing their best to stay out of trouble and/or work on the newest skateboarding trick. The dog park is a story in itself. Don't forget the weekend farmer's market. All in all, the park is anything but a circus of gentrification - something this local appreciates. Tompkins would not be what it is today without the efforts of head gardener Michael S. Lytle, who retires on April 30.