Spring Fever

It's official. It happened just about three weeks ago. Spring sprung! A round of applause please. Except this year we, in these northern parts, are wondering if it will ever really feel like spring, or are we simply going to go from snow flurries to sunburn. Winter is not retreating without a fuss.

But each day that we cross off the calendar lessens the chance of snow and shoveling. Just as I would not want to live in a land that is snowy most of the year, neither would I choose to live where the grass is green all the year long. The anticipation and arrival of spring is a joy hard to imagine not experiencing.

Now we can start to fling open the doors and windows and usher out that stale, well-worn winter air and let the house inhale a breath of new air, straight from the Pacific Ocean.

Homes aren't the only ones that need a dose of springtime. The parks and nature trails are filled with pleasure-walkers and joggers. They all have exchanged parkas and ear muffs for light sweatshirts and I-pods. And the warm rays of sunshine add a dose of vitamin D to winter-weary bones, as well as put a lift in our step.

As the sun continues to rise higher in the sky, mornings begin to warm and soon it will be time to start the day with a good book, a cup of coffee, and the accompaniment of wrens. It doesn't get much better than that.

The second-most favorite springtime activity is eating outdoors. Now around suppertime, neighborhood grills send out smoke-signals of come-and-get-'um aromas. Anything tastes better when eaten under an umbrella, or sheltered in the shade of a newly, leafed-out maple tree.

Spring means welcoming the charms of Flora, the goddess of flowers who distributes "her favours on the earth." Soon the browns of leftover winter will be camouflaged with greens of every hue. And not far behind will be the blossoms of crocuses and daffodils and forsythia. Tulips everywhere will get a deserved second-glance when walking or motoring by. Spring's Fauna has also returned with robins and blue birds and their bird songs. They know innately how to build their nests, without referring to blue prints or McCall's patterns. They gather up bits of spider silk, dog hair, and grasses that they weave and knot together into a delicate nest, strong enough to withstand a spring thunderstorm, yet soft enough to cradle their tiny young ones.

Spring is ideal kite-flying weather. In a big backyard or in an open field, kids can be taught the wonders of kites. All it takes is a tail of torn fabric strips and a ball of string for a kite to come alive and dance along on southern air currents.

So catch spring fever. It's one malady that nobody should worry about spreading to others. And be on the lookout for the first daffodils. It was William Shakespeare who wrote, "Daffodils, / That come before the swallow dares, and take / The winds of March with beauty."