All Spring in a Day

Cabin fever hit us hard last week. At midweek, the temps dropped back down to January levels, and resultingly, so did our moods. When they talk about a "cold snap" up here, what they mean is that it's still cold outside and we're all about to snap.

Luckily for us, this past weekend the temperatures scraped the underside of the 60s, and no one snapped.

T. S. Eliot wrote that April is the cruelest month, but here it's March. March will tempt you with a taste of coming spring one day, then howl down a winter blast on the next. April can surprise you with blizzards as well, but by April, winter has lost its power. In January, winter is the crazy old uncle who pays you a visit -- and stays. He lies around the house all day, eating your food, using all the hot water, drinking right from the milk carton. But in April, the crazy old uncle gives up and goes home.

March is a different story. March is when the crazy old uncle makes noises like he's going to pack up and leave, but the next day you find him settled down on the couch, the fingers of one hand welded to the television remote. In the other hand he's got a cell phone; he's just ordered out for pizza, and he's charged it to your bill.

So that's March up here.

Yesterday we had a taste of spring. Knowing it wouldn't last, we took advantage of the exceptionally warm weather to walk around Our Fair City and enjoy the sunshine for a change. Everyone was out enjoying the weather. The rest of the country bundles up against temps in the high 50s. When it hits the 50s up here in the north, we go out in shorts and T-shirts and hit the bike trails.

Unless you're one of those crazy people who goes out running no matter how cold it is (and I used to be one of those people) winter makes you sedentary -- sometimes against your will. So on these first warm days, it's easy to overexert yourself. I put Lid in the backpack and we walked much farther than we anticipated, resulting in aching shoulders and sore legs for me, but a good mood for all of us.

In late winter, when the temperatures get this high this suddenly, the ground can't soak in the water as fast as the snow can melt. Our backyard became a pond, with a small stream that emptied into the driveway. Under these conditions, the low spots make themselves quite apparent. A swimming pool formed between the garage and the house, and our exceptionally dry basement had water seeping in. Luckily, it's seeping in in the unfinished part of the basement, and running directly into a floor drain.

Last night the wind howled something fierce. It dried up the swimming pool in the driveway. I couldn't sleep, so I think I heard every creak of the house. The temperatures dropped back below freezing, and they haven't come back up all day. This is March.

But we had Spring for a day. And this is enough to give us hope to get us through the rest of the month.