I’ve decided recently that spring is my second favorite season. Fall has always been and will always be my favorite, but for years, as a cold weather lover, I’ve contended that winter is a close second to fall. This year, something shifted and I’ve realized that spring is in second place. I love the return to light in the evenings, the rainy days, the fragrant blossoms, and the anticipation of sewing the garden and daydreaming about summer holidays. In Colorado, we don’t get frequent rain year round, so spring is the time of year to relish in the cooler air and enjoy a nice cup of tea in the afternoon. I think I like spring for many of the reasons I like fall. It seems fleeting and special, yet each moment of the transition to summer offers its own sweetness and surprise. I also love seeing the lake repopulated with our summer birds (herons, pelicans, and red-winged blackbirds to name a few) and to see renewed life in the garden.
We had a simple Easter celebration this year. We made a delicious breakfast (with hot-cross buns!) and dyed easter eggs. We also made a priority to spend some time outside cleaning up leaves in the yard. The following night, we had a lovely spring dinner for earth day. For me, Easter is a chance to acknowledge the new growth of spring, and the vibrancy of the natural world waking up again. We’ve been cutting some herbs from the garden, and spinach and radishes are poking up in the raised beds. Before we know it the weekends farmer’s market will reopen and we will return home with our baskets full of spicy spring greens.
I’ll end with a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins: