Countdown to Spring
Hi everyone! Welcome back once again. I figured we could all use a good pick me up - not only from my last blog, but from life itself. I think everything has been adding up and making me feel even worse than I usually do around this time of year. I’m writing this blog on February 11, 2021, in the midst of a super cold spell. I think the temperature got down to a low of -47 degrees Celsius with the wind chill. The entire week has been really cold. I had a few bad things happen, and my significant other was home from work because he couldn’t work outside in such cold weather. It’s just been really tough, let me tell you.
I mentioned this in my Winter Blues blog, that truly, the next big thing to look forward to is Spring. Yes, I know that Valentines Day comes before the Spring Equinox on March 20, but I have never really celebrated Valentines. Our belief is you should do something special for your loved ones every day, even if it’s to say “I love you”, giving a hug, or cooking them supper.
Spring! Ahhh…blue skies, sultry -6 degree Celsius breeze: positively wonderful! All jokes aside, I think it was two years ago on St. Patty’s day. My next door neighbour’s were having a BBQ and I was outside sunning myself in capri’s and a t-shirt. I think it was about 24 degrees Celsius out. Normally, we say that March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb. That used to be true - we would have huge winter snowstorms and the days would be warm close to my birthday, at the end of March. Now, we usually still see snow until April and sometimes even May. That’s why they say you should never plant your garden until after the May long weekend, May 18th, since we can still have frosty nights.
There’s a special feeling in the air when we know spring is around the corner. It’s in the breeze, a warming to the air. I first noticed the days getting longer last week. I was so excited, I could hardly contain myself. Technically, the days start getting longer as of December 21st, on the Winter Solstice - we just can’t perceive it physically.
I know the majority of the birds don’t come back from migration until a wee bit later, but Spring is in the air when you hear more birds chirping outside. There’s this one bird song that signals spring for me. I have no idea what the name of the bird is, but it’s the most wonderful sound in the world. You may see the occasional V-formation of a Geese flock, heading to a local pond near you. My dogs even feel it - they are so much happier messing around in the wet and the muck and they stay outside for much longer. I sometimes take these moments to bundle up and sit on the back porch with my morning coffee. It’s really nice to be able to get outside again when the days warm up, especially in the midst of the Pandemic and the current restrictions.
I think spring is the perfect time of year. Not because I love it more than summer (who am I kidding - summer is the best!), but because we know that summer is just around the corner and there’s still something amazing to look forward to. I think autumn is beautiful, but the thought of winter coming kills any joy for me. Spring is that time in between when we can feel the animals stirring, and we know the potential for life is great. But, there are no bugs yet at that time of year. (Spiders really get to me, even though I know we need them in our world; I just don’t want to see them). LOL
The thought of spring means less layers to wear outdoors. We can move all the heavier layers into the back closets where they belong. Spring also means spring cleaning for a lot of people. It’s a time to freshen up your house, garden shed and garage. I always start in the areas I haven’t touched in awhile. As a matter of fact, it’s time for us to declutter the basement once more. It’s almost like, at first when you clean, you keep it tidy because it looks good. Eventually though, you start to “add” stuff and not really in any semblance of order until it becomes a mess again. For those people who have managed to declutter and keep it that way, I have to give you props. That is one of my goals I’m still working on - having a spot for everything, and keeping everything in it’s place once I’m done using it. I think it also helps when you have less stuff. We easily have enough stuff in our house to provide sparingly for four other families, or at least it seems like it sometimes! Perhaps it’s just because we have a very small house!
I hope this short article gave you hope to hang on just a little while longer. Spring is truly right around the corner, along with warmer days and birdsong that we’ve been missing! Let’s count down the days together and check out my Plan With Me Videos over on my Youtube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/SandraDahl!
xoxo! 🍀 SAN
