Zee Write Stuff

Spring Has NOT Sprung
Dream on,
ye of the frozen north
(Nanuck, is that you?)

1. Yuck. The snow turns gray and melts to show ...the two inch layer of ice below.

2. Cabin Fever. I get the overwhelming urge to open the windows and breathe fresh air.

3. Birds. They return. Two by two. And wake me up before dawn. How do they know?

4. Flowers. The grocery store is selling daffodils. We will not see a real daffodil for at least two months, but we can dream.

5. Corned Beef and Cabbage. -- speaking of market displays. St. Patrick's Day becomes the front-and-center holiday. Must be the lure of alcohol sales.

6. Easter. -- okay I lied about the holiday displays. Chocolate bunnies. Decorated ggs. Fluffy yellow chicks (and I'm not talking about Lindsay Lohan and Britney) . What does this have to do with crucifixion and resurrection? Renewal? New life? Oh... that's such a stretch. Can you say.....

7. Pagan displays. I cheated and added this one because I'm not sure I can get 13. But come on... the whole bunny and chick and egg celebration, with grass and baskets is completely and unmercifully pagan. It's a Fertility Rite. I wish those rabid Christians would take a step back and SEE this.... no, they'll go blithely through the forest searching for eggs. Duh.

8. Booking. The summer vacation spot. More and more dreams of sun and warmth, further and further away from the snow. We aren't even interested in Spring Break. We want the LONG vacation. Sigh. I have booked a week at the beach. In June. So near and yet so far.

9. Grouchiness. Everyone here grumbles about the weather and itches for temperatures above 40. My WW group was hysterical. Snack attacks! And nowhere to run. Really, nowhere to go outside and run. Bummer.

10. Animal tracks. Crisscrossing the snow. More and more tracks. We need to post road signs on the trail behind the house. The rabbits have come out of their warren under the big tree stump. Lots of little paw prints all over that spot. Deer tracks. Fox. Baby squirrels and chipmunks have started running up and down tree trunks. Leaping (yes! they amazingly fly) between the highest branches. Don't they know they can just run down and over and up?

11. Salad. I'm beginning to crave large, leafy, crisp green salads. And veggies. Tricking myself into summer. Plus lemonade.

12. Exercise. Even more than flipping the calendar to January 1, with the approach of spring I get serious about my weight and shape. And bathing suits appeared at TJMaxx last week. Oh no. I am so not ready.

13. Pack the black. I am reaching for colors again. I don't want to wear any more black. Last weekend, I bought a beautiful soft jade sweater. I looked longingly at the box of my sandals deep in the closet. I brought out my spring coat. And yesterday it rained (no snow!). I brought out my umbrella. A girl can dream, can't she? (as long as she doesn't listen to the weather reports of .... more snow...)