It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want –
oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want,
but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!
-Mark Twain
We moved to Ashland, OR in March of 2011 after living in San Jose, CA for thirty-three years; an area where the seasons tend to just blend from one to the next with no great dramatic change. Since moving, we have happily embraced the new experience of living where there are definitive seasonal changes. Our first summer in Ashland, the temperatures often reached into the high 90’s, which is very similar to San Jose summers, so that wasn’t new for us. The incredible fall foliage though, now that was spectacular! I couldn’t seem to take enough photos, as if I’d never again see such amazing trees. I even sent leaves to a friend who lives in San Francisco. I was down right giddy every time it snowed and I snuggled up in multiple layers when the temperatures never reached above the high 20’s.
Fall foliage
While I was aching for a white Christmas for our first holiday season, what we got was a white Easter! The poor Easter Bunny was so confused!
Easter Sunday 2012
Here we are with the first of March dawning tomorrow and with the spring equinox just around the corner, it is still cold and gray. Actually, last week we awoke to a blanket of snow and a few days ago the clouds dropped a hailstorm on us. ::sigh:: For some reason, I really have a bad case of spring fever this year. I think because before we left on our trip it was cold and wintry, it was wintry and snowing in Paris, it was bitterly cold in Washington, D.C. and we came home to winter. Old man winter seems to be really sleeping heavily this year. I have decided that I am ready for some warmth and a few sunny days; not hot summer days mind you, just lovely warm spring days even if I do sneeze 82 times a day. I always thought spring fever was just a term to describe a wanting for change. Turns out, it actually has defined symptoms, who knew?!
“Spring fever, that reputed and seemingly infectious malady that strikes when the days lengthen and temperatures begin to climb, has been blamed for feverish bouts of house-cleaning, restless behavior in the classroom, distraction in meetings and love struck dazes… Some scientists think spring fever is more than just a colloquialism — they think it’s a constellation of symptoms brought about by hormonal changes in the body… Anthropologists have suggested that spring fever may have developed over the course of human evolution. They point out that early humans often spent winter in a state of near-hibernation. Then, when spring arrived, they would enter an active period of intense hunting, gathering and procreating.”
Mini gnome tending his spring garden.
Aside from the fact that I actually will sneeze 82 times a day while living on a daily double dose of Claritin (and admittingly cursing the pollen blowing in the wind) I am longing for spring because quite simply, for me, spring is a time of new beginnings. I’ve never understood all of the hype over New Year’s Eve, it’s just a change of the calendar. To me, spring is really the start of a new year; the time to shed off the woolen layers and embrace the warmth of a new year. This spring, especially, I am looking forward to:
- opening the windows and letting the fresh spring breezes blow through.
- watching my husband take great joy in bringing the gardens back to life.
- taking long evening walks, our favorite daily respite.
- riding our bicycles.
- painting the Adirondack chairs I never got around to painting last spring.
- hiking to the top of Table Rock, it’s been on our to-do list for nearly 2 years.
- planning our future travel adventures.
- trying new recipes for fruit/herb infused water.
- remembering to be grateful for this amazing life we live.
- writing.
- reading.
- trying not to worry about the small stuff.
That’s just the short list, the things that come to the front and center as I watch the weather report each night hoping to see a week of bright yellow suns in the forecast. Hasn’t happened yet, but no surprise as we live at the base of the Siskiyou Mountains in southern, Oregon. I will just have to wait… a while longer, but patience has never been my strongest character asset.
13. embracing patience.
What are you looking forward to with the coming of spring?
My favorite rose in our garden.
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Such a beautiful rose! The best part of spring, where ever you are, is how colorful everything looks and how fresh it smells. Happy Spring!
Happy Spring to you and thank you so much for reading!
I hear you about the allergies, in fact I take Zyrtec year round. But, I do love spring, especially in climates where the flowers bloom profusely. Does Ashland have a particular spring flower that dominates the landscape?
The only thing that dominates the landscape in Ashland is deer! Ha! Ha! Ashland snuggles up to the base of the surrounding hills and the wild deer rule the town so trying to keep a garden in bloom is a constant battle. Pretty much everything grows well here though, except for those plants that can’t survive the winter cold, but the gardens are lush and colorful during the summer months. Thanks for reading!
I know about allergies and spring! A few years ago- someone saw me sneezing and recommended a homeopathic product called Allergena. They make remedies by plant zone- we’re in Zone 6. They have the zones on their website. It’s worked really well for me. Good luck and enjoy the spring.
Thank you for the tip, I will look in to it. Sounds funny, but I actually have to be careful about homeopathic products because I tend to be allergic to a lot of the base ingredients. Sometimes, the manufactured chemicals work better for me. Go figure! Thanks for reading!