When Spring Comes

As I write this the sun is shining brightly, yet the temperature is moderate. The wind and sun have partnered to make a perfect day. Previous rains nourished the grass pushing its green green color up in a close race with equally nourished weeds.

A male cardinal sits outside the window, perched on the wooden frame that holds the bird feeder. He's looking at me. The feeder's almost empty. My brother's a retired federal fish and wildlife enforcement officer. He tells me not to feed the birds in spring and summer. He's got a gun. I bow to his informed wisdom.

The rains have washed the yellow pollen coating from the red car. The air's clear of the allergy causing dust, having been cleansed also by the rains.

My neighbor is shooting hoops with his three children in the street. Another neighbor from the other end of the street just flew by on his skate board.

The young red tailed hawk who last year claimed dominion of the skies over my house just passed by, traveling the silent air currents. His new mate flies beside and a a bit behind. I wonder if she's pleased with her new digs. She sure seems pleased with him.

Spring has sprung in Georgia. The only thing standing between me and a glorious five months of delightful weather is Blackberry Winter. It only lasts a couple of days, a brief reminder to be grateful for what is to come. Knowing it's the harbinger of summer I'll welcome those few days of chill, embracing them for the promise they are.

The rain of which I spoke lasted two days. But the days prior were also clear and sunny, warm but not hot, a call to get up and get going. I did.

An amazing thing happened. The lawnmower cranked on the second pull on the rope. I was off. Back and forth across the lawn, leaving that neat trail of evenly trimmed grass, the mark of a true yard man, to form a pattern a well tended and truly cared for yard.

I paused at the end of the cutting. There was a bit of ache in the small of my back, a feeling, I hope, not uncommon to others my age. But it was only a bit of an ache. There was more to be done. The flower beds needed weeding.

Is it just me or have you also noticed that hoes gain weight with little use? Funny, I wasn't that conscious of the weight until I'd been at it a half hour. Is it just me or have you also noticed the length of flower beds also multiplies with disuse? The day was almost done by the time I got to the end of that bed.

The next day I awoke with a bit of an ache in the lower back. Well, it wasn't a bit; it was more than that. But with thirty minutes in a scalding shower it minimized. I set out on my appointed rounds to do the things that needed to be done. I returned home mid afternoon.

The vegetable bed needed tilling. Amazingly, the tiller cranked on the third pull. I bounced along behind it until I finished.

The next day it rained. It's the day after the rain and I'm looking out the window. I'm inside looking out the window because I'm so sore I just can't get up from this sofa.