OKAY, HERE’S ANOTHER ONE: Whenever I write about Knoxville, or post pictures from Knoxville, I get email from homesick Knoxville expats in New York, Los Angeles, Bangalore, etc.

So here’s another picture. I took this from the Indian Mound on Cherokee Boulevard on the way home from work. It had just rained, and — in the large version, at least, which you can get to by clicking the photo — you can see the mist rising from the lake. The pears are starting to bloom, and I actually saw a cluster of dogwoods blooming early today. They were on a southward-facing slope, and it must be warmer there, because mine aren’t even close.

The actual Dogwood Festival is still weeks away, so that’s a good thing. But my daffodils are blooming, and spring is definitely here. I’m ready.

To all you folks along the Great Lakes, where things are reportedly freezing solid, well — you’ve got my sympathy. Unless, like Sari Stein, you just love the snow, in which case I guess I’ve got your sympathy.