Spring

The countdown is on.

This winter has been rough.  As I sit here, already dreading yet another snow day tomorrow (and this one will be even more trying, since it will be just too cold to even consider sending the kids outside), my thoughts have wandered over to spring.  Not early spring (late March and early April), where the warmer temps are overshadowed by cold gusts of wind, but late April and May (which, of course, in Ohio can still be cruddy...but for the sake of this blog, let's pretend that by then, the lovely spring days have arrived).  Blue skies, chirping birds, trips to the outdoor playgrounds (where I don't worry so much about stomach viruses as I do at the mere thought of indoor play areas this time of year!), and the blooming of new plants certainly sound lovely, don't they?  I mean, does anything sound more appealing right now than loading up a cart at Lowe's with colorful spring blooms and big bags of mulch?  (Ok, obviously something might sound more appealing than that, but play along, please.)

Won't it be nice to feel the warm sunshine on our arms as we work in the yard, or on the patio, bringing our outdoor spaces back to life after such a long winter?  I would even be content to do some spring cleaning, because that usually means opening up the windows to air out the house.  And let's not forget the hours we'll spend on Pinterest, planning out all the wonderful recipes we'll prepare once we can wander around outdoor farmers' markets, or the lush gardens we'll plot out from images we'll repin on our comically named boards? (My garden board is titled "Crazy Plant Lady". I don't really know why...)

Picnics under blue skies, leisurely strolls through the zoo, enjoying ice cream before the days get so hot that it melts before hitting your mouth...these are all thoughts that will help get me through these long weeks of winter.

Some people insist on "living in the now" or "not wishing today away"; they can save that for the days that break 25 degrees.  There are certainly many things to appreciate about winter, but right now I'm having a difficult time coming up with any, so I'll just continue to daydream about whatever complicated landscaping plans I can find on Pinterest.