Wild Violet

Did you ever wonder why January 1st is designated as New Year's Day?  I mean, generally its cold, rainy (here in Kentucky), snowy if you're lucky and DARK. Everything is hibernating, the trees and bushes are bare, the ground brown.... Nothing looks 'New'. I'm sure there is a historical reason, but I'm just ranting, so who cares?  Why isn't New Year's Day March 21/22? You know, the first day of Spring?  Lets take a poll:

Which of these too pictures looks like it represents the concept of "New Year"?

A)

This was the aftermath of the 2009 ice storm.

Or


B)

My namesake: wild violets.

Yeah, that's what I thought. Don't get me wrong, I love winter and snow and ice. But nothing says "New" like the first Spring blossoms.   So HAPPY NEW YEAR (again)!

This is a red bud tree. All the weird flowering spots are where branches were
broken off in the ice storm from pic A.

Close up of tree 'sprouts'