We are not just one thing, one string of emotions, one combination of traits, one assemblage of attributes. We mix things up, change our minds, try out new ideas for size. And yet, we I have this one trait, one guiding force, one belief from which I have never wavered -- I believe in the magnificence of spring. Put it another way -- I just really love this season. Always have and I suppose always will.
Spring Equinox. The sun passes over the equator and boom! We move right into the growing season. Nature's way of telling us we have another chance at putting together a good day. A good life.
However, here, in south central Wisconsin, outside, there is snow.
The thing is, however much I love spring, it does come with its own peccadillos, mostly in the realm of weather. At least where I live and places I travel to -- weather in spring is: unpredictable, sometimes stubbornly unpleasant, often too wet, demanding a reach for winter garb once again.
Of course, plants need rain. It's just that us humans find rain to be a limitation: low lying clouds, sheets of wetness, accompanied by gusts of wind -- it's not what you want for, say, a spring vacation.
I have a trip coming up and looking at the weather forecast for the first week of my travels makes me cringe. Wet snow, changing to rain, cloudy and cold, every single day of that first week. Last night I wrote to my hotel hosts -- maybe I shouldn't stay a full week. Maybe I should head out toward better weather places. They poo-pooed my weather worries and wrote back something to the effect of "we'll help you survive!"
But let's get back to spring. I am finally seeing buds and green tips out there.
That is enough for me. Spring is a process. The end result is less important than the gradual awakening. There is no stopping that progression right now. We are on our way.
It's rather nippy out there and so we postpone our walk until a later hour. I concentrate on getting things in order. I'm not leaving until Sunday, but I have loads to do in the next three day. Ed would deny to high heaven that I need do anything for him at all, but still, I like to stock the pantry with his favorites, clean out spaces that I know otherwise will gather dust in my absence, clear the garden, cook some foods, and, of course, think about how the heck I can pack knowing that everything I wear that first week will get wet.
It is a busy morning.
(breakfast, with tulips that are past their prime and Ed who is not)
And still, I find time to read. What stands out? Oh so much. How about this: it used to be that when I lived in Poland, people from the west hesitated about coming for a visit. Indeed, my best friend from my American school declined an invitation to see me in Poland. Understandable, I suppose. There was an element of fear. So here I am, an American, reading about hesitancy all over again. Canadians, Europeans, Australians postponing a visit to my country, the United States, for many reasons to be sure, but in that handful is that element of fear all over again. Tourists, detained without explanation? Where am I living anyway? Back in postwar Poland?
I have just Snowdrop with me in the afternoon. Sparrow is still under the weather.
I pick up a happy girl! Unusual? Not at all. Under-dressed? But of course.
(At the farmhouse, she snatches Ed's computer for a quick game while I fix food)
Much later in the evening, Ed and I do go out for a walk. The snow has mostly melted, the air is brisk, the light is spring-like and stunning. I didn't want to go, but as always, I am soooo glad we pushed ourselves to do it.
Happy, happy spring!
with love...
