Spring Is Just Around The Bend

Throughout the winter we've been mostly cooped up indoors. Occasionally we went out to play in the snow, but that requires so many layers of clothing that it's hard work just getting out the door. And with a toddler who is still a bit too young to come up to me and say "Mommy, I'm cold," I'm always paranoid that he'll get a chill or worse. So we didn't go out in the snow as much as we could have this year. Maybe next winter will be the year for playing in the snow.

So just as we're getting really sick of being inside, all the signs start pointing to spring being on its way here. The sun is out more, this weekend we change the clocks and "spring ahead," and earlier this week I started hearing the birds singing at sunrise. It feels like it's been ages since I heard them. The weather lately has been almost balmy, too. It all makes me want to take the little 'un outside, or just hang out there all by myself.

But outside is actually pretty depressing right now. Everything is still brown and dead, which may make the cardinals easy to spot but is still not very pleasant to look at. It used to all be hidden by a layer of snow, but that's gone now and there's no green anywhere to be found yet. The wooded area we live in has no natural evergreen trees, and the few we planted last year are still tiny little things. We definitely need to plant some larger evergreen bushes this summer and some bulbs this fall.

But the most depressing thing of all is that the melted snow has also revealed three months of litter strewn around all the neighborhood roadsides. Where does all this crap come from? I think we're all pretty responsible around here and make a point to put our trash where it belongs. And most of it consists of three things: plastic shopping bags, plastic drink bottles, and aluminum drink cans. If this isn't enough to convert me to reusable drink bottles and shopping bags, I don't know what is!

So, happy spring everyone. May it be short this year, and let's get on to summer!