Finally, SPRING crept in. Like light shining through the space beneath a door, her finger-like rays snuck into my wintering mind and began to coax me away from my cold, dark mental state.
April is always such a mixed-up time weather-wise. It always feels like too many days of knock-you-down wind, alternating with days of rain. But peppered here and there are always a few days of sunshine with temperatures between the high 40s and 60s. People stop wearing coats and start wearing flip-flops. Even the teen boys at the skateboard park start going shirtless while I still wear my turtleneck sweaters. How are they not all freezing? I think they are all silly, but then I pull back from such thoughts. I remember that they have Spring in their hearts. They are moving toward the sunshine, refusing to allow winter to consume their entire year. I was once like that — a high school girl wanting to wear shorts and go barefoot, walking to school with sandals when it was maybe too soon to wear them and feeling cold, but telling myself, “It will be much warmer by noon. You can do this.”
Yesterday was one of those days. The sun finally came out, and temps were in the fifties. The grass was an irresistible green, and the leaves called, “come gather us.” So I spent the entire day outdoors. I picked up sticks, raked leaves, pulled dead vegetation from the Flower Beds, sat, rested, closed my eyes, and listened to the birds. It was heaven.
I fought tears when I lifted big wet clumps of leaves from my Flower beds and discovered my sweet flower friends sprouted beneath their covers, waiting for me to let in their sun. Finding them all was like attending a joyful family reunion. I transplanted most of my plants from the farm we sold when we bought our house in town two years ago. Hostas, Daffodils, Coral Bells, Foxglove, Daylilies, Poppies, Grape Hyacinth, Lavender, and more had been waiting for me. I saw that the Quince bush, lilacs, and my neighbor’s magnolia tree were loaded with buds. The memory of their sweet smells filled me with anticipation. Several birds came close as I sat near the feeder when I rested. There were chickadees, dark-eyed juncos, house finches, a goldfinch, cardinals, a crow, and at the end of the block, I heard a pair of Barred Owls talking to one another. There was a party going on in the world, and I finally showed up.
Today I am sore and achy from a day of yard work, but I’ve always thought that this kind of achiness is the best soreness you can have. Today will be another glorious sunshiny day, and I intend to seize it. Indoor activities will have to wait for another time. Today, the sun, birds, flowers, and air are calling me, and it’s time to let Spring back into my heart.
For this month’s recommended read, I’ve selected Zee Grows a Tree by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. Under the Activities section, you’ll find directions for making a Spring Breeze Pinwheel with your little ones.
(Book Review)
