Tuesday, January 8, 2008

A Christmas Wish Come True...


There are very few things in life that I love more than a beautiful, White Christmas.

However, once the magical holiday season is over, I confess that I am amongst the very first people up here in the Great White North who start whinging and whining:

"When... oh, WHEN will this blasted Winter be OVER???!!"

I hate being cold. Hate. I WILL, however, put up with being cold --without complaining too much, even!-- IF the date falls BEFORE January 2. Because THAT is when the Post-Holiday-Let-Down begins to set in, and I force myself to set my sights towards my second most favourite season: Planting Season. The very MENTION of the word "plant" makes my heart fill up with delightful anticipation...

WA-HOO, PEOPLE!! Time to set out the seeds,
because The Garden will soon be back in business!!

Well. I guess it kind of depends upon how you define the word "soon".

"Soon", as in... let's just say that last year, there was STILL a gigantic cludge of dirty, discoloured, rock-hard snow sitting in the middle of my front lawn in late May. I finally got so fed up and depressed by the sight of it, I alarmed my neighbours by going out with my sharpest, most lethal spade, hacked the damn thing to pieces, and threw the remains out into the middle of the road in front of my house.

"Soon", as in... let's just say, I might go out there and claim to be "working the soil" in what we call spring, but it's only the soil as deep-down as is already thawed. And that would be not very deep at all. It is considered EXTREMELY UNWISE to actually set out plants before what we in the Great White North call "The May 2-4 Weekend". Yep, we have been known to sport damaging frosts around these parts right up until June.

Okay. So Planting Season ISN'T coming "soon", as in "any time soon".

Which leaves me to howl at the heavens, immediately after I've polished off every last crumb of the Christmas baking:

"RIGHT!! ENOUGH WITH THE
GIANT DEEP-FREEZE, ALREADY!
THE FRIGGIN' SNOW CAN MELT, ANY TIME NOW!!
BY GOD, ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS SPRING!!!"

And for the past two days, it would appear that SOMEBODY up there has been listening.

For the past several days, in this gigantic sno-globe we call Home...

It Has Been Raining.

Yes, you read that right: RAINING.

Today, it was dark and dreary and drizzly and delightful, and my thermometer read a most satisfying PLUS 14 DEGREES CELSIUS!!

And the snow?

That lovely, Christmassy white stuff that dumped and dumped all over us late last year??

Gone.

As in: GONE.

I actually went out into my garden in my shirt sleeves this afternoon, in the pouring rain, not only to fill up the birdfeeders, but also to perform a little ritual soft-shoe on the patio, à la Gene Kelly in My Most Favouritest Movie of All-Time...

I know this reprieve from the harshness of winter is precious, and will, no doubt, be extremely short-lived... But today, I was thankful, and giddy with happiness.

And I think maybe... It might just be time to start taking those Christmas decorations down, now, after all.

5 comments:

Multi-tasking Mommy said...

I couldn't believe the weather yesterday! The bunny and I got all dressed up in our rain gear to go for a nice walk, but it did start to pour on us so our walk got shortened, but man, was it ever nice! HOLY run on sentence...sorry 'bout that!

Marty, a.k.a. canape said...

It was 70 here yesterday. I'm sitting here making little fleece buntings for Bird, since he will be born in the "winter," and it's dang 70 degrees outside.

I'm glad you got your thaw for a bit :) But I wish we could have some more cold down here!

Reverend Shawn said...

While our temps have NOT been as high, it has been relatively balmy here - minus 2 is a LONG, LONG, LONG way from the norms of minus 20 - and I too have been bombing around in spring jackets (it's ALL relative)

So, leave it to me to burst your bubble ... but remember that even though you live in the balmy south, it IS still JANUARY, and some of the WORST snow storms we had growing up came in the months following February ...

Enjoy the springy weather, but like every Canadian knows ... winter will NOT be ignored ... I AM envious THOUGH ...

Candygirlflies said...

Oh, Shawn, you big goof... Leave it to YOU to "snow on my parade"!!

Don't worry-- I know Old Man Winter's hot on my trail... I'm just grateful for this wonderful little reprieve... It's like a free Florida Vacation out there!!

We're savouring every moment of the sound of raindrops drumming down on my rooftop... And today, planting indoor "potager"-- vegetables and herbs in large terra cotta pots by the kitchen windows-- to satisfy my craving for gardening!!

CGF

shauna said...

I'm with you! Someone came and plowed my sidewalks today and I about kissed him.

I bet you grow a beautiful garden. I'll love to see pictures this spring...

:)

 
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