The snow is really almost gone this time, isn’t it? I choose to look on the bright, sunny, warm side of spring and believe that we are finally on our way to a couple of snow-less seasons. As I write this, Peter is hollering from the other room that Edmonton just got four centimetres dumped on them. So if it snows again, then dang it, I’m sorry.
But when I go outside, I can’t help but really feel it this time. Not just the promise, but the absolute quiveration that goes with knowing something exciting is just around the corner. The dog feels it. The cat feels it so much she rarely spends time in the house. Smart cat.
Come on, you know you feel it too.
It shows on the hydrangea bushes outside our front door, in the timid little green buds that are starting to poke their brave little heads through their winter hats. Don’t worry for the darling little buds. I promise I won’t touch them, for fear of ending their tiny hopeful lives.
So where is spring starting to show in your yard? Did you shout in excitement at the first red-breasted robin you saw poking its head into your lawn while it looked for a morsel? I did, but it was only to warn the robin as our cat, Wick, showed her own brand of spring excitement.
At last, the dirty greyness of the spring thaw is almost behind us. And by the way our county is coming out of hibernation, it’s not one minute too soon.
It’s so nice to go out for a walk again, without fear of icy incidents. Sure, we’re headed towards walks fraught with possible West Nile incidents, but we can enjoy the relative safety of the season for now.
Last weekend, the streets were crowded with people ready for the season’s change. A roller blading family pushing a stroller to the butcher shop. You can almost see the barbecue hunger in their eyes. Lots of bicycles have made it out of storage to hit the snow-free streets. So many people were out walking in the sunshine; young and old alike, smiling in the face of a blue sky, few rain clouds and no snow clouds. This alone should make everyone smile, because it means we’re all ready.
We’re ready for spring. We’re ready for massive doses of vitamin D provided by our lovely, warming sunshine. We’re ready to open the cottages, thatch the lawns and re-plant our gardens. We’re ready to be rid of this mono-chromatic season and ready to throw the sunglasses on to protect us from the blinding colours of the spring flowers.
It’s time to sweep out the cobwebs from the garden shed to ready ourselves for the season of mowing, growing and sun.
Of course, that means it’s time to prepare for battles of a different kind; weeds, mosquitoes, flower-eating deer and noisy birds.
But I’ll take the spring work madness over winter snow any day.
And for all of you who are already in the heart of your spring, enjoying the blooms, laughing at us poor people in Ontario - know this: When you're baking in California in June, we'll be enjoying our blooms and having lovely barbecue parties with the assistance of Deep Woods Off.
And our autumns are way better too. So quit laughing that we're still wearing Uggs and cursing the flurries of snow as they fly about - yes, sigh...today. April 5th.
