The U.S. starts Daylight Saving Time this weekend — early Sunday morning, to be exact. The little phrase I always heard growing up was “Spring forward, fall back,” meaning the clock moves forward in spring and back in the fall/autumn. I could still never manage to keep it straight!

Northern California is having a little taste of spring this weekend, and I finally dusted off my hiking boots and went for a morning walk. Thanks to the abundance of rain, there’s plenty of green and lots of flowers blooming already.

Spring always seems to be full of new life and the promise of better things to come. I feel so much better when I can get outside and hike on the dirt trails without worrying about puddles and sticky mud!

Still, springtime hiking does bring its hazards — the poison oak is already beginning to flourish. And I met a nice lady on the trail this morning who was dressed in a white coverall and gloves, wielding a net. She reminded me about the presence of deer ticks; this time of year they’re hanging out in the grass and weeds along the trail edges, about 6 to 8 inches off the ground. It’s the red ones, she said, that you really need to be careful of. (Edit: Forgot to mention the “minor” detail that these ticks can carry Lyme disease — not something you ever want to mess with!)

So get outside and soak up the lovely sunshine and the beauty of the coming springtime — but don’t forget to check for ticks on your clothes once you get home!