The thing about icicles

It always jars me out of the intended illusion when people feature icicles (in films or pictures) to show that it’s really, really, cold. Because icicles don’t mean cold to me. They mean spring’s coming.

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When it’s really cold, my world is covered in frost. In dry and glittery snow.

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In contrast, icicles are what we get when the thick cover of snow starts to melt in March – slick spires that cling to the remnants of snowy roofs. They’re a response to a sun that’s suddenly giving off some warmth again. They’re a promise of melting lakes and new buds. They’re a sign that soon we won’t need jackets any longer.

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How different the world looks, depending on where you’re standing when you’re watching it!