Thursday, April 18, 2013

SPRING HAS ARRIVED - FINALLY!



Little Lily smelling my tulips



There were threats of bringing a lawsuit against Punxsutawney Phil since his prediction of an early spring was so far off. Of course, excuses were made for him; he was sleepy, he was misunderstood, etc. and all threats were dropped.


When March came in like a lion, I assumed it would go out like a lamb, but no such luck. It went out like like a lion, too, with only a few lamb like days in the middle when King Lion must have dozed off before he woke up  with a roar and snarled throughout most of the month.

Apparently he gave up and retired, or at least moved further north, and spring finally came bringing warmer days, sunshine, daffodils, April showers and thunderstorms. What? You think spring should be all perfect days?

I view spring with mixed feelings. Yes, I like the warmer weather, the blooming of flowers, the budding out of the trees. But with the pollen comes Sneeze! Sneeze! Despite that, along with fall, it's my favorite time of the year. The mixed feelings I have are from trying to balance all the work involved in cleaning up winter debris like branches down throughout my yard, leaves not completely raked last fall and the dead stalks of perennials and weeds that need to be removed and composted. Then there are the beds to be prepared to plant the vegetable garden as well as the plethora of bulbs, plants, shrubs and two trees I bought because I couldn't resist when they arrived in several grocery stores. Also, there are the weeds that have popped up bringing to mind that old bromide saying "Ones children are growing like weeds." As I face the seemingly insurmountable tasks before me, I wonder how I'll ever find time for writing.

Daffodils in my back yard


 
Still my heart rejoices with each new flower that comes into bloom; woodland or garden. I love having my bedroom window open at night and falling to sleep to the lullabies of spring peepers in my small goldfish pool near the house and waking up to bird song.

So for a few months my writing time will be cut back because it can wait, but the vegetable garden must be prepared, seeds, bulbs and plants need to be planted, the gardens weeded and mulched, and because working outside after a long winter refreshes my mind and body and energizes me.

What is your favorite time of the year?




16 comments:

  1. My favorite time of year has changed as I've aged. Now, it's summer. Less pollen than spring, no mold of fall, and while the temperature can be too hot, as long as I'm by the ocean, it's not a problem. Winter allows time for reading and writing, except of course this year, which was devoted to renovations--still not 100% completed. I'm looking forward to the summer, hoping to get to the beach, having time alone to write there.

    Love the pictures, Gloria.

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  2. E.B. I actually like all the seasons, too, except when it gets too hot in the summer, but I'm lucky because I have large spruces near my house that shade it on the south and west so it's always ten degrees cooler in my house in the summer than anywhere else. And like you, I like the hibernating time of winter when I have more time to read and write.

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  3. Fall is my season. I love the cooler days and nights and the changing light. I also loved going back to school when I was a kid and I played my favorite sport, soccer, in the fall.

    Spring does have great charms – the number of different greens as trees and shrubs leaf out is just as attractive to me as the reds, oranges and yellows of autumn.

    ~ Jim

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  4. Actually, fall ties with spring. I like the cooler days after a hot summer and like you said, the changing colors. I love the smell of walking through the new fallen leaves and the bright colors both on the ground and on the trees. And in early fall, I'm still harvesting tomatoes and other things from my garden.

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  5. I'm partial to winter, but I live in Texas and they tend to be on the mild side. Freezing cold days are short lived. There is nothing mild about the summer months down here. Ninety five degrees with ninety per cent humidity is the norm. Spring is just a blip.

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  6. Spring is my favorite time of year with fall a close second. I enjoy the rainbow colors of spring flowers and the bright green of budding tree leaves. It's a nice change after the brown, bland landscape during winter.

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  7. Ricky, I was in San Antonio in March once. It was lovely, but terribly hot. My family also went through upper Texas in the summer once on a camping trip and even hotter so I could only visit in winter, I think.

    Kara, I feel the same way, Kara. Everyday when I go outside something new is blooming or about to bloom. Our spring was so late coming this year.

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  8. I will always love summer. Warm weather, few clothes, sandals, heat...good stuff, but I can no long bask in the sun the way I did when younger. So now it's fall with all its changing colors, fun decorations and cool without being cold--hoodie weather. Spring is my least favorite. Headaches, noise ducks and geese breeding, bugs setting up shop, mold all over the place needing cleaning...not fun.
    JMHO
    Patg

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  9. I enjoy the change of seasons, especially the change to spring and the change to fall. Winter and summer are fun in moderation.

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  10. My favorite season is fall. It means chilly nights sipping hot cocoa, cuddling in soft blankets, and books. Lots and lots of books!
    ~Fiona
    http://www.thrillwriting.blogspot.com/

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  11. I love that golden time of year when summer blends into fall.

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  12. So many different favorite times of the year. :-) Pat, I love summer until it gets hot and humid. If I can't keep my doors and windows open, it might as well be winter.

    I agree with you, Warren.

    Fiona, that's what winter is for here in NE Ohio

    Shari, that's the time of the year with mums, zinnias and other flowers that are so bright. Also, I'm still able to harvest many of my vegetables and the sunflowers are totally awesome.

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  13. Fall has always been my favorite season. I would say spring, but we seldom have a real spring here for more than about three minutes.

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  14. Linda, that's the way our spring seemed in March, but it seems to be making up for that now on fast speed forward.

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  15. I love the spring bulbs! They are a bright spot and appear when it seems that the winter is just too long. We have a utility cut near the road (we get out electric power through a rural electric coop, so we try to keep the underbrush in the cut under control) and right now, several hundred daffodils & narcissus are blooming. Daylilies are also planted there, and we get healthy plants & sturdy stalks, but the deer bit off all the buds, so no flowers.

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  16. It sounds lovely to have that so close to your home. Deer can be such a problem. They've eaten off some of the buds on my rhododendrons near the woods.

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