Spring is here! Or is it?

Is Spring Here?

As a kid, I heard my parents’ theory about robins and spring. To this day, I love to spot that first red-breasted beauty hopping across the lawn in search of a tasty morsel. Of course, the robins’ return is a sure sign that spring is here. Or not!

How many times have you seen a robin, shoulders hunched, feathers fluffed up, a totally disgusted expression on his face – you really have to look closely to observe this – and snowflakes falling on the poor creatures head?

Sure sign of spring…not so much.

Today is the first day of spring according to my calendar, but Mother Nature doesn’t always hang the identical calendar in her home.  March goes out with a snow-swirling, wind-howling, bone-chilling cold blizzard most years.  And she’ll arrange a freak snow storm in May on occasion to keep life interesting. Nope, you can’t trust Mother Nature when it comes to spring.

Last Friday, March 16th, I actually spotted a woman raking her front lawn in Calgary, Canada on my way to the grocery store.  True, most of our snow had melted, but I thought it was pushing things a little. A few hours later it was snowing! Mind you, it melted in record time.

What are my sure signs of spring?  The most obvious sign – my green thumb starts itching like crazy. An uncontrollable urge overcomes me to flip through my gardening books in anticipation of purchasing bedding plants for my flower beds and container arrangements.  And I wait anxiously for the first perennials to pop their heads out of the soil. Closer to the May long weekend, I’ll purchase vegetable seeds to contribute to the family garden that I plant with my daughter-in-law and granddaughter. The deck furniture on the back deck calls my name, and I enjoy an afternoon cup of tea outside while the dog chases a toy or curls up for a nap in my lap. Sounds so relaxing, right?  Of course, there’s spring work, too.  Eventually, I can’t stand the mess on the lawn a moment longer and out comes the rake. Why does uncovering small green grass sprouts thrill a grown woman so much? Because it means spring is here!

I’ve controlled the urge to rake, so far. The day is fast approaching, however.  But, hey, raking is excellent exercise, and you know me and how I harp about exercise, right?  Let me know when you spot that first little robin on your newly raked lawn.

Happy Spring Everyone!