Day 205. Spring Fever

I woke up yesterday morning with a terrible case of Spring fever.  Hit me suddenly, too.  Could be because it was so bright and sunny, so early in the morning (must have been my mother’s doing.  She passed February 26, 2007, but she was clearly being her usual, cheerful self, sending me a message and saying “Hi”).

Not a cloud in the almost over-saturated, beautiful, blue sky.

Could also have been the influence of my two cats, who were far more ‘lively’ than they’ve been in a while.  Full, and I mean full, of piss and vinegar.  As if they’d just woken up after a long, deep sleep.  Chirping at me, jumping on and off the bed.  On.  Off.  On.  Off.  Dancing on my head.  Butting noses with me.  Purring madly.

As if to say, “Come on, mommy.  Get up.  Get up.  Get up.  Time to drag your sorry ass out of  bed!  Look outside.  It’s Spring!!!”

Whoa!!!  Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

But I have to admit, I felt it too.  I had more energy, myself.  And it was a ‘different’ kind of energy.  It wasn’t the hey-let’s-go-run-a-marathon kind of energy.  It was a whoopee-I-feel-a-change-in-the-air energy.  I felt like I’d shed a heavy weight.  My whole ‘being’ felt lighter.

So I did leap out of bed.  And not only because I had to be at the hospital (volunteer) by 8:00.  But because my ‘seasonal’ clock was excited.  As opposed to my biological clock, which stopped ticking a while back.

Must say, of all the seasons, Spring is my favourite.  It’s a time of ‘awakening’.  Everything, including me, comes back to life.  Bits of green, here and there.  Bits of colour, here and there.  It’s full of promise and hope.  New beginnings.  Fresh starts.  New growth.  To me, it’s like nature is smiling.  And it makes me smile, too.

It was especially fun when I had my house.  I had a small front garden.  When I bought the house it was a disaster.  But I had the entrance re-done and, at the same time, I called in a landscape architect.  The transformation was unbelievable.  After tearing everything up, we started from scratch.  He planted tons and tons of white daffodils and tulips such a deep, dark burgundy they were almost black.  We had lots of seasonal annuals as well, so my little patch of green had something blooming all through the Spring, Summer and Fall.  With enough green plants to look pretty even in Winter.

My favourite, though, were the daffodils and tulips.  They are such ‘happy’ flowers.  Simple, uncomplicated, but lovely.  And of course, the ‘drama’ was provided by the sheer number of them.

It was always such a shock, and a surprise (pleasant) when I’d walk out the front door to see green shoots.  One day nothing.  The next, signs of Spring.  What a wonderful way to start your day, don’t you think?  And then, before I knew it, in what seemed like a blink of the eye, I’d walk out the front door and I’d be greeted by this mass of white daffodils.  Followed very shortly by a sea of tulips.

Glorious!

Which was always the signal that it was time to change the window boxes to a more spring-like arrangement.  Again, masses and masses of ‘seasonal’ flowers, cascading madly.

Wish I could find my photographs.  It was such a gorgeous sight.  In fact, I lived across the street from a massive dog park.  And total strangers, there walking their canine buddies, would leave notes in my mailbox, telling me how beautiful my garden was.

Unfortunately there were no tangible signs of Spring to greet me as I left home yesterday.  No little shoots peeking out of the earth yet.  Guess I’ll have to wait at least a few more weeks.  But it was milder than it’s been in a very long time.  People were wearing jackets, instead of heavy coats.  Shoes, instead of boots.  There were even a few brave (or crazy) souls driving with their tops down.

And I was energized all day.  Each time I took a patient out, to a waiting car, I had to stop for a minute, and take a deep breath.  To stand there, in my lab coat, without shivering.  Haven’t been able to do that for a long time.

Sure hope this wasn’t just a ‘tease’.  Mother Nature can be a real bitch, you know.