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.