April Fool’s
While pushing my wheelbarrow loaded with half-frozen wood chips yesterday, across the draw and up the hill to my hoop house, I stopped to catch my breath. This notion surprised me: It’s still only March.
A sweetly warm day in January will commence a soupy thaw and some lifting of saggy winter spirits, but one knows it’s still wintertime. A pleasant day in February will catch a person off guard (and will convince the goose to get to work on her family) but everyone knows that February is changeable, and that a winter storm could still–and probably will–threaten again. But. A string of sun-filled days in March may tease you into believing that winter is done with you for this year. The daffodils and crocus will quickly swallow this, as will the elm and maple trees. The honeybees are great believers in early Spring as well, hungry to begin their work. But woe to the fruit trees with their easily-frozen blossoms if they are gullible enough to believe. And woe to you, beloved, if you are fooled.
Because what will happen is this: you will open your weary heart as wide as your windows, and you’ll carry the tender plants outside. You will air the bedding and haul out the rugs. You will pack away the woolen sweaters and begin the spring cleaning. You’ll prepare for planting and pruning and fence-repairing projects, all the while feeling utterly, supremely grateful. You made it through another winter. Blessed, lovely, sweetest Spring has arrived at last: you will believe this.
And then in passing you’ll happen to notice it on the weather site: Winter Storm Warning, with low temperatures into the teens. Up to five inches of snow. Gusting wind.
You stare for several minutes as you take in this betrayal.
And you already cut up your seed potatoes.
- Books we’re reading at our house this month
- Rosemary & Sea Salt Focaccia bread: good enough to stand in line for
11 thoughts on “April Fool’s”
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Happy Resurrection Sunday my Amy dear…this is Lucy, not the goose, letting you know I’m still here and lovin each post, how could I not? Every word curled round the other like grapevines Spring tendrils…. you have wound me round your heart, I want you to know that and I’m the better for it.
Also….the “Streams In The Desert” devotional you mentioned has been my bread an drink for MANY a year….how dearer it is to me since moving to the AZ desert 9 yrs ago.
Carry on my sweet creative soul, with JOY!
Love,
Lucy
Amy –
Your BEST posting ever! I totally love it.
Yes, we certainly got a nasty April Fools joke this year, didn’t we! Five inches on the ground now and it is still coming down hard. Hundreds of birds around my feeder stations; they must have been surprised too. Just came up from the greenhouses and will now have some soup and bread and get my sweat pants, fuzzy wool socks and insulated vest out of the closet – where I stashed them for the season just a few days ago.
7″ this morning in OHIO. Yep.
Make that 7″ of snow this morning.
Sounds about right. We come to the states for a two week visit and winter is extended for two weeks. 25 degrees in Wisconsin this morning. Maria and I must hurry back to Mexico where it is 78 degrees and planting season is now.
Oh ouch. I think I’ll be grateful that we merely had a 34 degree day. … gettin’ off easy…
Beautiful post. We’re having days filled with sunshine but when you step outside you can tell that spring is not here just yet, we have snow in the forecast this week.
Oh yes. This is so, so true. What a lovely post.
OH goodness, yes, the betrayal I feel is real! Your post rings true in my heart. It has been a cold wet winter and I’m ready for the little stirrings of growing things. I’m ready to break ground for planting peas!!
Our small backyard flock seems as equally upset to be teased with day-long periods of free ranging in the sun coupled with days of barely leaving the coop because of the bitter wind. My little seedlings in flats are the only thing convincing me that Spring is still near. I pride myself on being Nebraska tough and it’s likely these teasing Springs that make me so.
Nebraska tough . . . so where are you in Nebraska, Arica? When I think of our weather (and our resulting “toughness” here) I recall having a conversation with a lovely young lady from Fiji (when we were in New Zealand a couple years back). The island weather she was accustomed to (not counting occasional hurricanes) was temperate–the temperatures ranged from about 40 degrees to 80 degrees, I think. When we explained that our temps could go down to -20 during the wintertimes up to over 100 during the summertimes, she sputtered to accept it . . . “Your weather is . . . hostile!” she said. Ha! This weekend we are STILL supposed to have snow and very cold temps, but today is supposed to be in the 70s so I’ll be cleaning up garden spaces and doing some frolicking. I think you could put those peas into the ground, too! Good luck!
Wait! Did I meet you at my plant sale last year??