I live in an area where winter drags along for months and months, and we still experience an April blizzard every few years. I never find myself rushing into springtime. We turn the furnace off and on again a few times before we are ready to open the windows and enjoy the weather. But now the daffodils are blooming, and the flowering trees and bushes are everywhere. I think it just might be safe now, even though we had a dusting of snow last week.
It's been said that Spring is nature's way of saying, "Just one more time". This is the time for change and renewal, so I thought I would list a few ways to celebrate the season.
Go outside. Renew your acquaintances with the neighbors. Take a walk in the park. Play on the swings. Fly a kite. Hit some golf balls. Find a five year old to help you.
Visit a garden center. Mulch. Buy seeds. Plant vegetables. Plan a kitchen garden. Start a small herb garden. Buy some plants and put them in unusual containers. Just about anything can work, if you can put a drainage hole in it. Old decorative tins, pottery, mixing bowls, wooden boxes, broken chairs, leather pocketbooks and shoes are just a few containers. Try to stop yourself before you are putting geraniums in old plumbing fixtures.
Put your house up for sale. If that's a little drastic, then just pretend that you are going to move. Visit some Open Houses in your area and get new decorating ideas. Clean a closet. Give things away. Have a garage sale. Consider renting a space or a display case in a consignment mall or flea market. Many places will rent space for just a few months.
Start a fitness program--Every year it surprises and scares me when I realize that I can't keep wearing jackets and sweaters every day. Enroll in an exercise class, or start walking. And, no, it is never too late.
Go and do something just for yourself. Buy a fabulous spring bouquet. Have a department store makeover. Read a book out on the deck. Eat Girl Scout cookies.
I'd love to say that I do all these suggestions. Last year I put my herbs in an old tin bucket, and didn't add any drainage holes because it already looked pretty holey. It wasn't enough, and they only lasted half the season. Do as I say, not as I didn't.
It was our first spring and summer since we moved. It was exciting to see what flowers we had here at our new to us house. And now this year, we will know what to add. I am hoping that we have lilacs. Absolutely there will be zinnias. I love the bright colors and being able to cut them to bring inside. And marigolds need to go somewhere. We would like to add more rosebushes. We don't have a vegetable garden anymore. We just rely on the local farmers' market. One of our neighbors is a most prolific gardener, and is already spending hours outside every day. I'm hoping to get to know her better this year.
APRIL
The
roofs are shining from the rain.
The sparrows twitter as they fly,
And with a
windy April grace
The little clouds go by.
Yet the back-yards are bare and
brown
With only one unchanging tree—
I could not be so sure of Spring
Save that
it sings in me.
-- Sara Teasdale
