Spring

Ah... Spring is almost here. Well, unless you're playing Trival Pursuit. In that case Spring started on March 1st and runs through May 31st (that's a grudge I hold from long ago). But I look to the solar calendar: spring starts on the Vernal Equinox - March 20th this year. And while equinox is derived from equi, meaning equal, and nox, meaning night, suggesting that day and night are equal on the equinox, that isn't actually true. It's close, but not quite 12 hours between sunrise and sunset.

In fact, March 17th will have 12 hours and 49 seconds between sunrise and sunset where I live. The sun will be up for 12 hours, 9 minutes and 27 seconds on March 20th here. It varies with latitude, and even longitude as the sun travels north (at this time of year) over the course of a day. What is true is that the sun will cross the celestial equator from south to north (in the northern hemisphere) on March 20th. For a nice explanation see timeanddate.com.

Of course, from a weather perspective where I am Spring is marked by warmer days and melting snow and crocuses sprouting up. Truly the most certain sign that we're done with snow for the year (well, until Fall anyway) is when you see the crocuses valiantly blooming through a very late winter or early spring snowfall.

Today was a taste of spring here. We've had a few in the past few weeks, but we've been recovering from what will hopefully be the last cold of this winter, and so have been unable to luxuriate in the sunny warmth. Not today. Today we enjoyed the 50+F temperatures and sunshine.

We went for a walk. And after our walk Dee Dee and Little Dudely wanted to stay out. Pookie, not being much for the outdoors unless it involves swimming or someone pushing her in a swing or her jogger, decided to go in after our walk. That left me to straddle the indoors and the outdoors. And bake the cookies we decided to make today.

We dug out their bicycles and helmets so they could zoom around in the sun. They breezed through the air in the swings with only a fleece jacket. No winter parkas, no mittens, no hats. They created Stone Soup with bark mulch, rocks, lot of sand and melting snow. They whipped up Chicken Pot Papaya from leaf bits (mostly oak), twigs, some sand and a little snow from the remnants of the giant snow mound that obstructed their swings most of the winter. The feast was for Little Dudely's friend Cugabon - his birthday is tomorrow.

At 5p I thought about calling them in for dinner. Then I thought better of it. At 6p I thought about calling them in for dinner. But who am I to interrupt anyone savoring the outdoors? So dinner was sometime 6:30p, bathtime was kept short, and two tired kids went to bed right on time.

And that lovely story isn't exactly true. I came down with a second cold yesterday on the heels of my first one. So the walk was about all the reveling I could manage, and maybe a bit more than was wise. And Dee Dee is not yet alseep despite all the fresh air and fun. But her bedtime issues won't be adressed here and now. Regardless, after five months of bare trees and a landscape dominated by brown, grey, white and evergreen, with the occasional splash of blue sky, I am ready for Spring.