During a brief preview of summer, serenaded by the duo-tone whistle of red-winged blackbirds, the earth radiated heat and the sun shone on the brilliant greens around the lake while I paused awestruck in my walk to watch swallows pick at the fresh mud, their sleek, purple-sheened bodies in a rare stationary pursuit. After two weeks, my cold seems to be nearly gone and my reintegration back into routine nearly complete.