I'm sure it's a sneaky lie, but today and yesterday spring has been whispering to me that it's here. In the course of a day, temperatures rose from freezing to nearly 70 degrees, melting the snow almost instantly into isolated islands of snirt.
We saw our first crocuses yesterday, and one of these little yellow gems opened practically before the kids' eyes. It was a small miracle to them. Their wonder transfigured my world, too. The Tiger rubbed his knuckles raw drawing stick people with sidewalk chalk. Both kids turned their sneakers chunky brown with mud. Small pleasures, to be sure, but as good a reason as any to have children.
Yesterday afternoon, the two kids and I took a long bike ride around the neighborhood. Well, long in duration; with the Tiger on a tricycle, it took us an hour to cover a grand total of about 15 blocks. We saw more neighbors in that one hour that we had all winter, all of us blinking our eyes like slightly stunned cave-dwelling mammals emerging from hibernation into the treacherous sunlight.
A lone and stupid fly buzzed around our kitchen during dinner. The kids both freaked out briefly, not having seen a fly in months.
It's time to start tomato seeds. Sleep less. Prune the clematis. Let go of all that's chilly and discouraging. Swat at bugs. Shed some clothes. Talk to our neighbors.
6 comments:
Spring is exciting and hopeful and heart-warming...until I remember that another blistering, sweltering, terrible summer is coming right behind it! (Can you tell I am homesick for the north?)
Of course you're right. Having grown up in North Dakota, I know that worse weather always lurks in the future. Which is why I have a policy of never thinking too far ahead. Of course, that mostly makes me disorganized, since I'm not terribly good at the Zen, live-in-the-moment thing.
Hi Sungold! We had a nice Sunday, too and my kids played on their swing set for the first time in ages. It felt so good to open the windows! Today we are expecting 6 inches of snow.
We have had the window open for the last two days and it has been a breath of fresh air. Spring is just an exciting time.
I am so jealous of your crocuses. They are not out yet where I live and I am REALLY tired of winter. So thanks for the reminder that spring will come, eventually, and it will be glorious when it does.
Ha! See, I jinxed us. We've been getting torrential rains today, which caused flooding in the hills sufficient for school to let out two hours early. Silly me. I thought we were done with this, after our 11 snow days and multiple two-hour delays.
So don't anyone feel too envious.
It'll be interesting to see how the storms and floods affects voter turnout today. I've read that the secretary of state will allow provisional ballots for those unable to reach their usual polling place. I'm hoping this won't delay the results past tonight.
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