Spring in England

I telephoned my Mother in the UK yesterday morning, and she sounded rather "blue". When I enquired about her state of mind, she said, "well, this winter has been unusually long, cold and dark, and I am getting tired of looking out my living-room window at the dripping trees and the dark, cloudy skies." I commiserated with her, and asked her if there were no signs in the garden yet of Spring. She responded quickly, and with the first hint of vibrancy in her voice, that - indeed, there was a sign. Under the apple tree outside her window, she had seen that morning, what she thought was a pile of snow left over from the last snowfall a week or so ago. Upon closer examination, though, she realized that it was not snow at all, but a great drift of Snowdrops! She was so excited to tell me all about these harbingers of Spring, and to remind me that every year, they increase and that this year, maybe because of the cold winter, there were more than ever!

While I enjoy being in Florida for the winters now, it was brought home to me yesterday as I spoke with my Mother, how important the seasons are to our appreciation of the constancy of nature. Without Winter, how would we appreciate and long for Spring? Without the "dog days" of Summer, how would we otherwise revel in those beautiful cool mornings and evenings of a Fall day? Having lived most of my life in the northern part of the northern hemisphere, I am programmed to respond to the changing length of days and of the different weathers which accompany the seasons as they turn everlastingly. I know that I could never live in a one-season location, like Florida and I am always very happy to return North and have the pleasure of arriving home in time to see my bulbs poke through the ground, and the leaves unfurl in their bright green colours. So, while I will continue to soak up the sunshine here in Florida until mid-April, it will be with great excitement and anticipation that I will head North and run to my garden to see how many spring bulbs are showing above ground.