JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Let's stick with the arrival of spring as a theme, since I've been enjoying the unusual warmth here in Maine - more like late April than the third week of March. We've talked about spring chores, and Paula Munier painted a perfect picture of March in New England, so today I thought I'd share ten things I love about these first, early days of the season.
1. It's really like New Year. Which it used to be, before Pope Gregory got his hands on the calendar. (That's why Decem-ber has it's name; decem being the Latin word for tenth.) March and April always feel like the perfect time to start afresh, with new habits, new pleasures, and a new outlook on life. I may think of a new yearly theme word, since back in January the only thing I could come up with was "self care" and "agoraphobia."
2. Changing bed linens. This is a little thing that gives me so much pleasure. In the winter, I have flannel sheets and tartan duvet covers, making my bed a nest for escaping the cold. In the spring, I change out to white sheets and a white duvet cover, and add flowered pillows. Do I remove the wool blankets between the sheets and the duvet? Heck no. But visually, it feels lighter.
3. It's easier to exercise. The best intentions to get out of the house and be active can crumble in the face of snow, ice, and single-digit temperatures. When the thermometer rises above 50F/10C, even walking the dog becomes a pleasure. I went for a two hour hike last Sunday! Can you believe it? I can't.
4. Buying spring flowers for the house. I know I could pick up inexpensive bouquets at the grocery store all through the winter, but I don't. I don't know why. I have lots of faux greenery and berry sprays that seem more suitable during the cold months. But as soon as Hanneford puts a bucket of tulips by the entrance, I'm a goner.
5. The first lettuces, microgreens, pea pods, etc. Speaking of Hanneford (since my CSA doesn't kick in until May) it's such a pleasure to get the first greens that haven't been shipped from Chile. This trend continues until, at the height of summer, I basically have the same diet as the groundhogs and rabbits that go after the neighbor's garden.
6. More daylight feels like more productive time. It's not like there are actually more hours in the day, is it? But boy, when it's pitch dark at 4pm, I'm ready to close the laptop and get dinner started. Yesterday, I was still working at 6:30 without noticing the time! Now I just have to make sure I'm using all this productive time to, you know, produce. As opposed to playing Mah-Jongg solitaire and watching tiny house videos on You Tube.
7. More humidity for my poor winter parched skin. Three words: Blown. Hot. Air. I slap on Cetaphil like a mason trowling mortar, and my face still has the texture of parchment paper. It's SO nice when the humidity outside rises and the heat kicks on less inside. Soon I'll be able to stop pouring mineral oil all over myself in the shower. (Great for the skin but a bear to clean up.)
8. Listening to birds after the long silence. Here in Maine, we have crows, chicadees, and jays wintering over. None of which are known for their musical warblings. Hearing the first songbirds is like listening to the Boston Pops at Tanglewood. So good.
9. (Occasionally) putting the windows down when I drive. See birds, above. Woo-hoo! What is this mysterious thing called "fresh air" inside my Honda?
And finally, particularly relevant this spring,
10. Socializing outdoors again. I've gotten together with friends a few times over the winter, huddling (six feet apart) over the fire pit, dressed in wool, boots and a parka, wrapped in blankets. It's doable, because we're all so desperate for human (socially-distanced) contact. But it's a lot more pleasant to have a drink when you're not worried about frostbite.
How about you, dear readers? Do any of these ring a bell for you? What are your favorite things about the beginning of spring?
Daffodils blooming are one of the very best things about spring . . . .
ReplyDeleteWalking the dog yesterday, I noticed the tips of our daffodil sprouts are beginning to turn yellow. Very exciting!
DeleteJULIA: Yes, I totally agree with you that longer daylight hours and warmer temperatures have put more of a spring in my steps.
ReplyDeleteNo spring flowers, or singing birds yet but I have enjoyed eating my first servings of arugula, lettuce and pak choy from my edible balcony before Satan the Squirrel can get his share, ha ha. The fact that I am doing this 2 months earlier than last year is a bonus, thanks to my new indoor grow light setup and being able to start seeds over the winter.
Our CBC Marketplace investigative reporting show just highlighted the growing problem of deadly Ecoli outbreaks from imported romaine and bagged lettuce from California and Arizona, so I am glad to be able to grow my own leafy greens until the FM open up here in early May.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6uQXOqupkA
Leaving the windows open at home is another sign of spring. It's a balmy +7C/45F here at 4 am. But since I am a cold weather sleeper, I DO NOT use blankets or flannel sheets on my bed in winter. Instead, I use thin cotton sheets and a silk duvet all year round.
GRACE: tell me more about your silk duvet. I have innumerable duvets, none of which is right for spring. I've not heard about a silk one.
DeleteAMANDA: I bought my Silk Impressions duvet on the TSC Shopping Channel about 5 years ago, so I don't know if they still carry it. Silk is great since it adjusts to each person's personal body temperature. The duvet acts as a natural insulator which keeps you cool in the summer andwarm in the winter. And it is machine-washable.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQT_pbUEbbQ
I don't have a silk duvet, but I know it's an amazing fabric. Silk keeps you cool in hot weather and warm in cold weather. How does it do that?
DeleteJULIA: Yes, the silk adjusts to your body temperature, somehow.
DeleteI was always a cool-room sleeper but my menopausal body can no longer sleep under flannel sheets, blankets or the heavier duvet I used for years.
When travelling (remember those days?), I have to remove the blanket and duvet from hotel beds to be to sleep without overheating.
All of those! Especially the gathering outdoors. Plus sleeping with the window open. I also like it cool in the bedroom. With fresh air and bird singing in the early morning, it's paradise.
ReplyDeleteIt's not quite warm enough here to do that yet, Edith, but it is one of my great pleasures in the summertime, and one of the reasons I'm glad we don't use AC.
DeleteJulia, Southern New England is not too different from Maine, just a matter of degrees. It has been warm and lovely here most of the past week. I am not feeling like doing more of anything except reading, though. I have brought chairs out onto the patio each afternoon for a couple of hours and yesterday I put on shorts to sit out.
ReplyDeleteToday we are having new windows installed in our bedroom. We had to more furniture and take down drapes and move it all out of the way. The house is just bulging with stuff. And, I have been baking up a storm and freezing it in preparation to bring goodies to Rachel next month. In spite of appearances, I feel as lazy as I ever have felt and know I should put the book down and do something. Yeah, maybe tomorrow.
Judy, I think sitting outside in the spring sun and reading is one of the best possible ways you can celebrate these early days of spring!
DeleteLonger days. Better temps. So much promise! Though yesterday we got a light snowfall, so this morning the ground here is white again.With luck, it will be gone by evening...
ReplyDeleteAAACK, snow! After getting teased with this May-like weather, even a dusting of snow seems like going a step backwards. But going back to reality, that colder air is headed our way this weekend. There are some snowflake icons in the forecast, but just flurries, I hope.
DeleteI think it makes those of us in the north appreciate the warm days even more, don't you think? March and even April snow storms are not uncommon in Maine. Knowing this makes each sign of spring even more precious.
DeleteWe got snow in MAY last year in Ottawa, Julia! Enough of a dumping that it had to be shovelled, and the city's snow removal fleet was put to work.
DeleteWe've been known to get sleet and snow in northern Ohio in April--really hopng it's not going to be one of those years.
DeleteFingers crossed for all of us in northern climes!
DeleteLove, love, love the longer days. We'll move from our heavy down comforter to our summer weight one. The down blanket stays year-round. I'm eagerly awaiting the first robins and the pops of color from the spring bulbs. Spring is glorious!
ReplyDeleteThere's a reason there are so many songs and poems about it, Kait!
DeleteChanging bed linens will be likely in may for me, but I like being able to sleep with an open window beginning in spring.
ReplyDeleteMore and more birds . Yesterday, while walking I heard and saw a flock of ducks coming from the south. Youppi !
Longer days and more energy.
Socializing outside, at a distance : that will be good.
I’m looking forward to all the changes in nature: the first buds bring gold and red in the trees and then , the tender green of the first leaves and then, the greens change and become more intense. All the little changes bring joy in my heart. It is a little early for this but it is coming.
That may be the best thing about March, Danielle - the certainty that, even though there will still be cold days and perhaps snow, winter is definitely on its way out, and spring is coming.
DeleteLonger days and longer dog walks, particularly before dinner. The great seasonal switch outs: winter to summer sheets, removing one Hudson Bay blanket at a time, making a pile of heavy wool sweaters to wash and pulling out cotton sweaters and long-sleeve T-shirts. Dusting the ceiling fan blades. The knock-out roses are robustly healthy, the daffodils in full display. The birds are in full nesting mode in the bushes under the bedroom windows. Sweeping the screened porch and adding hanging ferns and the tabletop fountain.
ReplyDeleteOur after-dinner dog walk has been the greatest beneficiary of the longer days, Margaret. It's so nice not to have to put reflective vests on me and the dog, and walk in the darkness shining a flashlight toward any oncoming cars. It's pure pleasure to take a stroll after the dog's dinner with the sun still in the sky!
DeleteSilk duvet! How many of you googled that immediately? Here's a link I found, prices are very reasonable but I know nothing about this product.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.lilysilk.com/us/bedding/pillows-comforters/silk-comforters.html?cs=navibedding&cn=20200601
I'm sleeping downstairs in the sunroom these days, one of the windows open, lovely balmy air. With windows on three sides, I'm loving the signs of spring: birds, crocuses, snowdrops, buds on the dogwoods, tulips waking up, all of it.
I know, right? Silk duvet is one of those things you've never heard of and as soon as you do, you think, oh! Of course!
DeleteHmmm, the Lilysilk duvets seem similar to mine but the prices are way higher what I paid on TSC, plus there's the US/CDN foreign exchange rate to add the Canadians. I also don't know why they have all-season vs. summer ones (different thicknesses or level of fill, I suppose). And only one duvet is listed as washable.
DeleteIf you're handy, a duvet is just about the easiest thing you can make, all straight seams. And you can buy snap tape to use for the closure, or just make an envelope closure. Finding the fabric is the hardest part.
DeleteTrue, those with a sewing machine could probably make a duvet cover, but where do you get the silk fill?
DeleteSince I barely passed my grade 8/9 home economics sewing classes, using a few mouse clicks and a credit card is the easier way to go. I did not inherit a smidgen of my late mom's sewing talent!
Grace, I was actually describing how to make a duvet cover. Sorry for the confusion.
DeleteHowever, silk batts are available for inserts. They're not free, though.
The birds are at it this morning and listening to them, while drinking my tea, in the cool light before I have to start work is lovely. As is it not being dark when I shut the computer in the afternoon!
ReplyDeleteLet's face it, none of us like to "spring forward," but we all like longer, light-filled evenings. Next year when we make the switch to standard time, I'm going to come back and reread this discussion, just to remind myself how much we all enjoy it after we've had a chance to reset our circadian rhythms.
DeleteI'm not ready to ditch my flannel sheets just yet but I am planning to take off the heavy but plush winter bedspread and go to something lighter.
ReplyDeleteI so agree about hearing the birds, other than the crows! Early mornings I can hear the cardinal but still haven't seen him; yesterday I heard redwing blackbirds but haven't seen them either. Getting out to take a walk is my favorite thing this time of year!
The birds are one of my favorite aspects of early spring, Judi. from the amount of time the cats are spending staring intently out the windows, I suspect the birds returning are their favorite part of the season as well!
DeleteYou have checked every box! I would only add watching the squirrels go absolutely bonkers -- leaping straight up in the air like furry Jack in the Boxes, then streaking across the lawn, and finally stopping to run in a couple of tight little circles before zooming up a tree and catching their breath for all of ten seconds. And then, if they can find another squirrel to chase, heaven!
ReplyDeleteThere is so much squirrel activity in our neighborhood, Amy, and the dog is HERE FOR IT.
DeleteThis time of year I am drawn like a magnet outside to watch for what's coming up. This is the time of year when the bleeding hearts roar up out of the ground. They literally grow more than an inch a day, you can almost see them growing. I planted one on either side of the path to the front porch, just so I could see this happen in the spring.
ReplyDeleteOur daughter in Kenya called Sunday morning, on speaker with her husband. I walked outside while we were talking, and my son-in-law said, "I hear birds!" That's how loud they were.
Steve washed the outside of our windows the other day, and hosed off the screens. Improved our outlook mightily, it did!
I'll wait a bit to swap out the down blanket for the crisp cotton coverlet. It's still a bit chilly at night.
With everyone talking about getting their Windows washed, Karen, I've been thinking about pricing the job. My big fear is that most of my windows date back a century or more. They need to be treated with TLC, not with a power wash!
DeleteJulia, Steve used a squeegee system to do ours. It worked really well, better than a power washer would have, and more gently.
DeleteThe birds seem especially sweet this spring--such songs and trillings and whistles when I go for my walk! The red maples are full of red leaf buds against a cloud-free blue sky, all of the daffodils are up and budding and the irises, columbines, oriental poppies, common poppies are greening above the ground--it's a glorious time! The little guy (5 years old) exclaimed the other day "I'm learning so much!" as we go out to poke among the flowerbeds or take a walk.
ReplyDeleteFlora,"I'm learning so much," made my heart smile. It's good to be around small children. They seem to notice things adults pass right by.
DeleteSpring bulbs are among the few flowers I can grow in my tiny front garden patch. a huge street tree keeps it in shade all summer. Every fall I get carried away and order a lot more bulbs than I actually want to plant. And then, every spring, there they are! Tiny shoots of green, with purple and yellow and white and periwinkle blue dots, poking up through the dull dried leaves that kept them warm all winter. They are there now, crocuses and tiny mini-iris, with the tips of tulips and daffodils to show up in a few weeks, bringing joy.
ReplyDeleteTruly, the flowers of spring are more welcome than any other. Planting bulbs was Ross's job and delight, and I have slacked off. I need to make a note so I remember buy and plant them in the fall, instead of waiting until spring, thinking, "Dang, I wanted to plant more bulbs," and then completely forgetting about it until next spring.
DeleteGood morning! Hope I made it on time today. It has been a very busy week.
ReplyDeleteGood news: I finally got to see my new audiologist who is great about contacting me via email and I got the replacements for my broken speech processors. It is back to the hearing levels of my first cochlear implant about twenty years ago! Small steps at a time and I am grateful that at least I am hearing something.
Spring to me usually means spring cleaning. I remember when I was a kid, there was a book about different months. March or April meant a lot of rain. Bow I notice that in March the days get longer.
Living in California, we usually have sunny weather though living near the coast means that it can be sunny one minute then cloudy the next minute!
When I lived on the East Coast, I could see the beginning of Spring in March. It was cold and snowy in January. A friend was so excited about the flowers that someone called her Thumper as in Bambi cartoons. I could see why it was exciting to see flowers blossoming.
Cherry tomatoes are now in season and they taste wonderful!
Diana
Diana, you're never too late for me! And I envy you having cherry tomatoes in season. They won't be here in New England until late June at the earliest.
DeleteGlad to hear you are moving ahead with your new audiologist. Keep us updated!
I'm so glad to hear about your progress with your audiologist, Diana!
DeleteDIANA: Great news about your cochlear implants!
DeleteDiana, I am happy to hear about the good rapport you have with your new audiologist. Great news about the speech processors, too.
DeleteJULIA, thank you. Dry farm tomatoes won't be here until late June at the earliest. Surprised that I was able to get an appointment with the audiologist during the pandemic. I was the only person there and everyone wore masks. And social distancing too.
DeleteDEBORAH, thank you. Small steps at a time. Mostly environmental sounds and rhythms of voices for now. Better than no sounds, right?
GRACE: thank you. Glad the sound processors are working. When I saw you in San Diego, I had NO hearing at all! Thank you for being patient with me and my friend.
JUDY: thank you. Nice surprise that I could see the audiologist in her office during the pandemic. Of six audiologists in the office, only two audiologists, including my new audiologist.
Diana
I think I can safely unplug the timed lamp, I'm no longer walking into a dark house at the end of the day. My camellia bush is almost finished for the year. There has been a wind blowing the pollen around, making life a bit more difficult for those with Spring allergies. My neighbor's daffodils have finished and now I await to see what she puts out for summer. I'm new to the area and I remember her flower garden from last summer. I make palm crosses this Saturday, for Sunday church, my sure sign of Spring. We are having our first outdoor, at social distant, service of the year on Sunday and we are able to sing with masks in place. Who would have thought a sign of Spring would be an outdoor church service? Only during a pandemic.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it's almost Palm Sunday, Deana. This has certainly been a Lent like no other.
DeleteAnd thank you for the reminder about allergies! Most of the family has seasonal pollen allergies, so it's a good time for me to order the big 500 pill bottle for the season...
I’m so glad spring has sprung for you, Julia. I don’t face brutal winters but love it when our evening walk can begin at six not five. And I love spring flowers. Here in Arizona the desert starts to bloom like magic.
ReplyDeleteOne of the disadvantages of efficient homes-I can’t hear morning birdsong through double panel windows
Rhys, I do love the bird song, but in all honesty, I would probably trade one of my very large monthly fuel oil bills in exchange! I can always open the windows later on in the year...
DeleteI planted my sunflower patch the other day - that is spring to me - right before it gets ghastly hot in AZ. But the sunflowers love the heat, so it’s okay. The smell of damp earth, the warm sun on my shoulders, and a cool breeze blowing through my hair - perfection. And, yes, fresh beginnings!
ReplyDeleteJenn, what month is early spring in your part of Arizona?
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ReplyDeleteNo heavy coat.
ReplyDeleteOn point, Dru, but on the other hand I realized I have no idea if my spring coats are in the hall closet, in my closet, or are up in the attic. It's like an Easter egg hunt, but with jackets.
DeleteWith the fickle and wild temperature swings J have 3 or 4 different costs in the hallway to wear. Same with hat and gloves.
DeleteWe have birds, birds everywhere! I just saw a wren right outside my window with a big piece of dog fluff in it's beak--thanks to Jasmine! Her winter coat shedding could make nests for every bird in the neighborhood. Redbuds are in bloom everywhere, and we are beginning to see a mist of green on the trees. This morning I finished my coffee sitting on the front porch in the sun. Lots of things are still set back here from the big freeze. I saw on a Facebook memory from yesterday that this time last year our iris were in full bloom, but nothing so far this year. Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteI bet that's not the only Wren you'll be happy to see this spring, Debs!
DeleteI am not a morning person. I stay up late and get up late. But, that has changed with my dog sitting my daughter's senior pug Lucy while they are gone to Savannah. Lucy is used to going out early in the morning before my son-in-law goes to work, around 5:30 or 6:00. Well, I get a bit of a break, and we've pushed it to between 7 and 7:30 a.m. So, where this is leading is that I am outside early right now, and what is wonderful about that is the birds and the yard and the world waking up in its spring glory. It's quite lovely. I may have to change my schedule on a more permanent basis, well during spring.
ReplyDeleteKathy, I'm fortunate in that my daughter's dog is young and actually likes to sleep in of a morning, so I don't have to hit the streets until 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. however, I vividly remember my senior Shih Tzu, Louie, who had an old guy's bladder and was up every morning by 6:00!
DeleteSome groups have the spring equinox as their new year -- such as the Baha'i Faith, and Iran, the country of its birth. There are likely others that I don't know about.
ReplyDelete