Last week’s mild weather was a tantalizing tidbit of spring. Sun-starved and heat-seeking Iowans lumbered out of their winter dens to feast upon day after day of light and warmth. Since the cold arrived over the weekend, everyone I’ve talked to has been downright grumbly about the unwanted return to winter. Apparently, the springlike weather whetted appetites just enough to leave us hungrier than ever!
When Mom and I went to lunch on Tuesday, we overheard one woman complaining. “The weather seems colder than ever after that warm spell. It would have been better if it hadn’t warmed up last week.” Her litany continued, with slight variations for the next ten minutes, always ending with the same refrain. “I hate this cold weather.”
I have to admit, similar thoughts have crossed my mind since February quit acting like April. I catch myself daydreaming about sandals and capris, opening the windows, and hanging laundry on the line. Sometimes, I convince myself it’s warm enough to go without a coat and am jolted back to unhappy reality when I step outside.
Still, I don’t wish last week’s warm weather away. Our brush with spring melted the snow so walks outside are no longer dangerous. It exposed bare ground so the deer can forage in the woods instead of in my flower beds. It cleared a path in the yard so I could hunt for signs of spring in the swelling buds and greening grass.
Best of all, the warm weather wrestled several days from winter’s grasp and landed us one week closer to spring. Even now, when I stand outside and breathe deeply, the scent of damp ground and earthworms and bruised, green grass lies just beyond the cold air and swirling snow.
Spring is coming.
I can almost taste it.
