March is a time when our thoughts turn to spring. We find ourselves dreamily browsing seed catalogs, planning for herb & vegetable gardens, and adding just a few more outdoor fix-up projects to the must-do list. Soon the scents we love will surround us…newly-plowed fields, freshly-mown grass, and spring hyacinths
in full bloom.
Today; however, my mind is on last-minute threats of snowy weather. While we missed most of the nearly 10
inches of snow predicted for our part of the Midwest, today’s cold March wind has created a lingering chill in the air. Yes, this wind is up to its usual business. The tarp covering the chicken run is flapping as if it’s ready to blow away, and
the bird feeders in the old maples are swinging back & forth at such a pace no bird could possibly sit down to enjoy a meal.
March has earned its reputation as both lion and lamb. Someone mentioned to me that a year ago this week it was nearly 80 degrees in our hometown. And while that’s much too warm for a March day, I think we’re all waiting for those first balmy, blue-skied days to raise our spirits. Here, at least, it’s been a long, bone-chilling winter.
March, this milepost of spring, has us firmly in its grasp. Soon the winds will slacken and warm, there will be sunshine and the first hint of green. We’ll tentatively open a window and taken in the sweet aroma of an awakening world.
But until that day arrives, this farmgirl has a pot of chili simmering on the stove, and has just put another log on the fire. And so, before the gardening chores beckon me, I try to remember all that needs doing inside. Yes, even when there’s still snow on the
ground, spring cleaning is in full swing here. My goal? To tackle room-by-room before that seasonal malady known as spring fever hits!
