We are in the last few weeks of winter. Spring officially arrives in my neck of the woods at 9:50 p.m. on March 19th. By the way, that is the earliest spring equinox in over 124 years. In my opinion, the sooner spring arrives the better.
That being said, the months of March and April are two of the biggest teases in the whole calendar year. Yes, the average high temperature begins slowing climbing out of the cellar, but these two months are also among the snowiest parts of the year here in Colorado.
One day you’re enjoying a warm spring afternoon soaking up the sun in shorts and flip-flops, the next day you’re shoveling a foot of heavy and slushy snow off the driveway. That’s springtime in the Rockies for you.
Even though several parts of my yard and garden are still under piles of snow (the pile in the front yard has been there ever since we got our first snowstorm in October), the temps have risen high enough to thaw out the rest of the garden so that I have been able to start the annual clean up. While doing so, I have noticed several encouraging signs indicating that winter’s icy grip is weakening.
While I haven’t seen much in the way of swelling buds on the trees and shrubs yet, I have detected the first shoots of perennials and bulbs popping up here and there. These signs of green, however small, gladden the gardener’s heart.
I always somewhat amused at how our perceptions of the weather changes depending upon what we are acclimatized to. One of the days I was working outside the temperatures were in the mid-50s, with a fairly stiff breeze that brought the wind chill down closer to 50 degrees.
But after months of winter cold, this was t-shirt weather as far as I was concerned. I even had most of the doors and windows open in the house (albeit with the thermostat turned down). All-in-all, a very nice and sunny late winter day.
Check in with me in about 7 months, say mid-to-late October, after we’ve had months of temperatures in the 80s, 90s and possibly into the 100s and the story will be completely different.
Temps are in the 50s and there’s a stiff breeze? Make sure the windows are sealed up tight, and crank up the furnace! Heck, maybe get the fireplace going! Damn it, where did I stash my jacket and watch cap? Boy, what a chilly autumn day!
It’s all a matter of perspective.
Another sign of spring’s imminent arrival is that Mr. Horny Woodpecker has returned. He has been banging away on my chimney cap every morning this past week, trying to woo any nearby lonely lady woodpeckers.
Jerk.
How about you? What signs of springs imminent arrival have you seen so far?
