At this writing, February has just begun and amazingly temperatures are a balmy several degrees above freezing with sunny skies. This of course means that I am compelled to go out and search for the first signs of spring. 

I know I’m jumping the gun a bit here (temps will drop into the single digits in a day or so) but like many of you, I am anxious for some sign, any sign that this long, dreary winter will soon come to an end. 

First Signs of Spring

Not expecting much, I ventured out for a quick perusal of the backyard and lo and behold, the first things I see are”¦weeds. I cannot tell you how thrilled the sight of weeds made me, almost to the point of feeling a bit weepy. 

Happy tears aside, I continued my hunt for some signs of new, green life and was rewarded with”¦mushrooms. Again, I almost couldn’t contain my joy and yet I felt certain that tucked under some mulch or in a farther corner of the garden I would find a leaf or sprig of green growth. 

After I had been out for some time I decided I had to throw in the towel. Spring has NOT sprung yet. I didn’t let the lack of burgeoning buds or verdant grasses depress me. Instead I tugged on some gardening gloves, grabbed my hori hori and started to dig out weeds. 

First Hint of Green

After an hour or so, I had an ache in my back and my hands were frozen but the path I chose to work on was free of weeds. Just as I was about to pack it in, I spied something green. Could it be? I brushed aside some mulch and lo and behold, I saw the tips of a swath of daffodils!

My eyes misted with tears; okay not really, but I did feel emotional. Could it be that the long bleak COVID-filled winter was actually over? 

When I went in to wash my hands, there was dirt under my nails. Dirt!!I didn’t even use a nail brush. I just left the grunge there to remind me that soon, oh so soon, I’m going to be minimally attired, sunburned and happily exhausted from working in my garden.