Thursday, March 13, 2008

That moment of The First Spring Day

a perfect moment of spring
Last year I clearly remember the day. The day I wore short sleeves and jeans with flip flops. My winter skin was exposed to the spring sunshine. The feel of breeze on the hair on my arms was a sense I hadn’t felt in months. On that first sunny warm spring day of 2007, I hung laundry to dry from our laundry tree* in the backyard. I was happy. I realized I had been in a winter funk of darkness, and maybe even a little depression. But then The First Spring Day came and I was happy, carefree, myself again.

I just had that moment for this year, 2008. Not so much of an emergence from a dark place. There was no long winter living through house construction, no lack of winter travel or anemia making me exhausted. This year I planned for winter. And I saw a doctor last summer who diagnosed my iron deficiency and under-functioning thyroid. We booked a 10-day vacation to Mexico for the very worst month, February, and I was heading into Year 2 of running my own business from home, this time, without construction making my life a living hell. Needless to say, it’s been a much better winter. But I still had the emerging spring moment, and it was this Sunday on the first day of Daylight Savings Time.

I had planted some pansies in the front pots, and cleaned up the chairs and table on the front porch. One of my favorite radio shows was on public broadcasting, and I seized the moment. The windows were open to let the breeze through, the radio drifted out to the front porch, and there I was, sitting in the sun with my pile of seed and plant catalogs, my list and pen, a wine spritzer with ice and a straw. The cats rolled in the sun a few feet away, and Wink hung out taking in the view of those walking by on the sidewalk.
hangin' out on the front porch
The sun warmed my skin and I squinted my eyes as I wrote my list of the dahlias I couldn’t live without, sedum chocolate, the crazy deco mix ornamental cucumber I’d grow in my patch of freaks I hope to cultivate this year. …alongside the yard long red noodle beans I’d grow on the arbor. Others on my list…
  • Pizza pepper
  • Black Pearl and Candlelight ornamental peppers
  • Chocolate cherry tomatoes
  • Purple tomatillos
  • Swiss sunset basil (in celebration of my swiss heritage)
  • BBQ Rosemary to make skewers of rosemary infused veggies with this summer
  • Pony tails amaranth
  • Black peony poppy
  • Whirligig and Zowie! Yellow Flame zinnias
  • And contemplating the golden Anne raspberries.
I didn’t get through the whole stack of catalogs, but I’ve got a good step in the right direction. And with a little more warmth from the sun, I know this is going to be a very good gardening season. Don’t you?

*Instead of a clothesline we have a tree, just steps from the basement door, with branches at the perfect height to hang clotheshangers from.
This is also posted on Sassy Gardener.

9 comments:

A Lewis said...

Aren't these times just the greatest. I wish I had a big front porch like you do...ours is very small. And this year, there will be a little Mason puppy to run around the yard! Happy late days of winter. I know the feeling. But, I have to say, this winter I've really enjoyed it. Something about the silence, coldness, starkness.

SassyFemme said...

I'm so ready for the first real spring day. Every morning I stand in my closet just looking at all those spring clothes, craving the day I can wear them.

We've never gardened, but are actually talking about trying our hand at it, on a VERY small scale, this year.

Unknown said...

I love, LOVE, the way you've described this feeling. I had a small taste of that today-- the first day I could sit outside for a few minutes and have the sun's rays warm my face.

Golden raspberries-- to die for!

Anonymous said...

Not only did you have the moment, but you knew you were having the moment and urge that all of us bloggers have to take a picture of the moment and share it with others. I love the awareness - being aware is being alive.

Unknown said...

You porch looks inviting!

It was nice to see you the other day:)

Shelly

Anonymous said...

i love you, lelo.

Unknown said...

today was that day for us!

i envy your porch though..hehe love ya sis!

Rozanne said...

I love the matter-of-fact way you mentioned the "patch of freaks"--like everyone's got one in their garden.

Heh!

Sounds like a really fantastic list of plants!

Neva said...

What a wonderful post. I feel the same way when Winter ends and Spring begins.

Almost ten years ago, I took a class for emergency dispatchers/operators on handling suicide calls. (PowerOne put it on--AdRi will probably know of this training company). Anyway, in this class, the instructor said that more people attempt suicide in April/May (and not in the commonly believed Winter months) because hope is in the air and they can't feel it...so they get more despondent. That actually makes sense to me. Thankfully, I'm not one of those people.

Your porch looks so comfortable, welcoming, and warm...which doesn't surprise me, considering it's owner :-)