Small Talk: Spring will sneak up on you
Thankfully, finally, spring has nearly sprung.
We started off the winter with bitter cold and then faced several small, bothersome snowstorms. And, it’s still cold.
In early February, the groundhog predicted more winter, and we all know that the only way for spring to truly arrive is to wait — patiently.
Winter is almost over; on Tuesday, spring begins.
We’ve already changed our clocks and 12 hour days of sunlight are upon us, with the earth’s orbit and axial tilt changing favorably for the season.
The snowdrops, flowering harbingers of spring, are blooming and other buds are poking up through flower beds.
Soon, the crocus will declare itself. And forsythia will be everywhere.
My mother grew up at 228 West Miner Street, in West Chester. An original Washington, D.C. cherry tree hangs over the sidewalk and when it blooms it shares the stage with dozens of its brothers, sisters and children at the Jefferson Memorial.
I wondered if the last heavy snowfall would damage the budding flowers and we would view fewer blooms than usual.
Have no fear. Longwood Gardens Display Designer Jim Sutton told me that snow is a good insulator and the flowers should be fine.
One day, the trees will be stark and empty, and seemingly, the very next day, they will be awash with buds and light green colors. Budding trees are almost more colorful than autumn’s foliage if you look closely enough.
Don’t forget St. Paddy’s Day and Cinco de Mayo. Easter is early this year. It’s a time of rebirth and resurrection for many. Renewal and regrowth are back!
The month of March is one big tease.
“In like a lion, out like a lamb.”
We all know it to be true. Even with those heavy corn snowfalls that break tree limbs and cut power, we know spring is coming. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Dining will move outside to the sidewalks and concerts will be held under the stars. We’ll switch to shorts and flip-flops. Exposure to Vitamin D and sunlight may make our bones stronger and elevate our moods.
There is no such thing as nice as a perfect spring day.
I lived in Florida where there are just two seasons: wet and dry.
On a day near the beginning of October, Mother Nature flips a switch. Temperatures turn delightful.
It rains hard, starting in June, almost every day, mid-afternoon, for about 15 minutes, with no subsequent cooling down.
The swamps fill up with water and the birds come back from the Everglades where water is more plentiful year round.
At the end of winter, it dries up and alligators often relocate, sometimes digging holes to preserve that little bit of water still left.
Florida summers are brutal, but they say your blood thins and you become accustomed to the heat. Everyone will tell you that Floridian’s go from an air-conditioned car to an air-conditioned office to a home with airconditioning.
I went a year at time in Florida never wearing a jacket. It’s nice to only need one season’s clothing. Few wore black except after dark. We learned to wear lighter colors that don’t hold the heat and many drive white cars with light colored interiors.
Those on the coasts near the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean feel the humidity intensely. It gets stinkin’ hot in Key West; thankfully there is a breeze most times.
In Chester County, animal behavior changes too. While sipping her coffee at the breakfast table, my mother would get excited every spring when the first robin appeared. She knew the time to barbecue, lounge in the hammock and swim was close at hand. We’d soon enjoy local strawberries, corn on the cob and blueberries.
And we will hear the chirping of baby birds. My sister reserves a hanging basket for a nesting family on her second-floor deck. She put in fake flowers this year, because she couldn’t water last year’s flowers for a long period of time.
Wookie the Wonder Cat always enjoyed watching the nesting birds closely and listening intensely from behind a screen door.
Major League Baseball’s spring training expresses that summer is almost here. The sun shines brightly and we have a peek at what it will be like to wear short sleeves.
We “spring” ahead, or jump and bounce into the season, like the Easter Bunny does.
Drivers get wild on that first day when the mercury hits 75 degrees F. Car windows are wound down and tunes are cranked up.
I’ll be that guy taking the long way home.
Bill Rettew Jr. is a weekly columnist and Chester County resident. He will tell you that yes, spring will return as it always does. You may contact him at brettew@dailylocal.com.