Spring has finally arrived, and I am so excited. For the better part of a month, a litany of endless meetings and tight deadlines have kept me away from the garden and unable to find time to write for this blog. But thanks to daylight savings and a return to a lighter work schedule, I can get back to doing more of what I love.
My mind has been racing with topics I hope to write about (there are so many – it is spring after all). However, I thought I would start off simply with sharing ten reasons why I love this season.
- Spring rain. There are few things I love more than sitting on my deck during a spring shower, wrapped in a blanket with a cup of tea, while taking in the sounds and smells of fresh rain. Pure heaven.
- The pond. Our pond undergoes a beautiful metamorphosis with every changing season, but spring truly brings out its magic. The ducks and geese are starting to mate and are looking for places to nest in anticipation of their growing families. The frogs, snakes, muskrats, and other animals which call our pond home are showing more activity with each passing day, and just yesterday, a bullfrog and a good-sized catfish scurried away from the shore as I walked past them. In no time at all, Marty and I will be paddling about in our peddle boat on lazy, sunny afternoons.
- Babies. I can’t write about the pond in spring without also mentioning my excitement over being a new “grandma” to more baby ducks, geese, frogs, fish, snakes, muskrats, rabbits, and deer. Thanks to Amazon, I’m also able to stock up my current supply of nesting material, a few more birdhouses, and plenty of corn, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and duck/goose pellets.
- The birds are back. Spring wouldn’t be spring without the return of migrating birds, and the arrival of the season’s first robins always fill me with joy. As I write this post, I’m looking at a dozen or so of these cheerful harbingers of spring who have the claimed a maple tree, a redbud, and a dogwood tree as their favorite meeting place. The birdfeeder which hangs just outside the window of my study is swaying under the weight of a handsome male blue jay, a fire engine red male cardinal and his mate, a few male and female purple finches, and a solitary titmouse. As soon as they fly away, two mockingbirds, a few wrens, and some sparrows take their turn at the dinner table. This feeding rotation repeats itself over and over with additional mixed groups of bluebirds, woodpeckers, juncos, and brilliant yellow goldfinches, only occasionally interrupted by the visiting squirrel or chipmunk.
- Trees and flowers are budding and breaking ground. For us die-hard gardeners, seeing those first buds on the trees, a redbud blossom, a yellow forsythia bloom, or the sprouting of even the tiniest head of a hyacinth, tulip, or daffodil out of the ground gives us reason to celebrate. Time to break out the champagne!
- Fall mail-ordered plants and bulbs are arriving. Every year during the dark days of winter, I spend time pouring over garden and seed catalogues, dreaming of new plants I hope to add to the garden the following spring. Last year was no exception. For this spring, I’ve decided to try a few different varieties of clematis (Ville de Lyon, Sarah Elizabeth, and Snowstorm – all group 3varieties), a fragrant cloud honeysuckle, and a few new giant orienpet lilies. If my emails are accurate, the first of these should be arriving next week, which means it’s……….
- Time to get dirty. I love working in the garden. I am definitely not one of those gardeners you see on TV who wear fashionable clothes that never get dirty and always have perfect makeup with nary a hair out of place. Nope, not me. Not even close. After the first five minutes of gardening, I look like something the cat dragged in – and I wouldn’t have it any other way. For me, there’s almost something spiritual about feeling the soil, smelling the earth, and planting seedlings and new bulbs. Spring offers us the wonderful opportunity to reconnect with the planet and be a part of the circle of life.
- The colors and smells of spring. Technology has come a long way, but it still can’t come close to reproducing the incredible colors and smells nature gives us each spring. They are a cornucopia for the soul.
- I can spend more time comfortably outside. I love winter and summer, but let’s face it, frostbite and sunburn are no laughing matters. Here in northern Kentucky, our winters are fairly mild. However, there are always a few days when the temperatures dip below freezing, the windchill feels bone shattering, and working outside is nothing short of miserable. Then come the hot and humid summers. Having naturally light blonde hair and fair skin, I can easily get a nasty sunburn within fifteen minutes. Even when I lather on the sunscreen, I find I need to re-apply the goop much sooner than most people. Not fun. But with spring, the days are usually in the comfortable temperature range, the sun hasn’t yet turned into a supernova, and like the three bears, the weather is just right.
It is a time of rejuvenation and celebration. While every season offers its unique purpose and beauty, spring brings with it the re-birth and rejuvenation of new life. It is a time of hope for the future and the celebration of new beginnings. May your spring be filled with joy, renewal, and reconnection, and I hope you make time to celebrate the many miracles of the season.
