If your pantry is cold, molasses comes out like a thick tar blob. If you warm up molasses it comes out faster and smoother. That's how I see Spring in our neck of the Pacific Northwest. This year winter cold came early in November and still hangs around the mid 30's at night and the mid 40's in the day. Spring is trying to arrive, but it's one big thick blob needing some sunshine to warm things up.
The hearty Rhodies start their display early and each color and type extends the color to the garden for months. This is why we love our gardens so much in the Northwest. The bright colors of our rhododendrons and azaleas fool us into thinking it won't be long before the sun is out.