2007-03-12
a taste of honey
|Mother Nature threw the Midwest a bone this weekend and we savored every minute of it. Sunday afternoon it hit 55 degrees Fahrenheit and the last bit of snow on our lawn finally melted away. Even though the grass under the snow is matted and brown it was so nice to see the lawn again.
Honestly, I cannot complain about the 2006-2007 Winter That (Never) Was. Barring a few snow outbursts and perhaps a week of single digit weather we had a pretty mild winter. Thus far I have not worn my actual winter coat instead opting for my lavender spring jacket all winter long. It was tough at times, but I was working on principle. I was making a silent protest and I think it went pretty well, if I do say so myself.
(Side note: I come by this honestly. My 80-year-old father does not own a winter coat. He hasn't for as long as I can remember. He doesn't spend much time outside and if he is out using the snow blower he wears a gray fleece pullover. He says the activity of moving around with the snow blower keeps him warm enough. Otherwise, he is just entering and exiting the car which is heated and has heated leather seats. Those leather seats are nice, I gotta admit. On those occasions he wears a tweed sports jacket.)
So this weekend I was still in my lavender jacket, but I didn't have to zip it up. That's progress. Why does everything seem so hopeful, the landscape rife with possibility when the snow melts and the sun shines? It's so nice to open the windows of the house and not hear the furnace kick on within two minutes. Somehow the air does smell better and different, a touch of rain water mixed with the essence of spring.
The only thing better than smelling fresh air is driving with the windows open and listening to some spring tunes on the radio. I don't know why but I have always associated The B-52s and Elvis Costello with spring. So it's nice to get a first taste of spring, even though I know winter has a little bit left in store for us.
It's not even April in Michigan. That surely means winter may have one last storm up her sleeve.
2007-03-12 at 5:47 a.m.
