Spring keeps peeking around the corner. The calendar tells us it is spring, but winter keeps holding on. Swans have been seen in the river. The first Canada Geese are back, and my wife reported that she could hear birds singing Monday morning as she left the house. The ugliness of spring is appearing as well. After five months of snow hiding the dirt, branches and sand, it displays its ugliness.
My boulevard that is shedding the last of its gravel strewn snow is revealing a matted lawn strewn with leaves and sand. The strong winds of winter and ice have snapped many branches from the three clumps of birch trees, and they are strewn about the yard. The deer have been active in my yard for the past five months and have left their droppings scattered across the yard. Every day new piles are uncovered as the snow recedes. Perhaps fertilizing the lawn will be unnecessary.
Spring is a mixed season. As the days grow longer, that impatience of a winter continuing changes to a season of hope and dreams.
It is the season when we can put away our winter parkas and heavy boots, stow our snow blowers and shovels away for seven months and plan barbecues on our decks and back patios. We can hardly wait for the last snow to disappear when we retrieve our rakes to gather up all the unraked leaves and dirt that has accumulated over winter.
We begin looking into our flower beds to see daffodils and tulips sprouting out of the frozen ground promising color and new life. The river opens and the thoughts of lake life germinates just as seedlings sprout for our gardens. Yes, the stores are converting for spring and displays of seeds abound.
The sap is running and already people are tapping maple and birch trees for their golden sap that will be boiled down for syrup. We begin looking at the buds on our trees watching them expand.
Spring is also tax season. We gather our T-4s, 3s, and 5s, hoping that we haven’t lost anything along with our donation and health receipts hoping that we’ve not lost anything that can bring a letter from Revenue Canada several months down the line. It is all part of spring. And if we have done our calculations last year, we can look forward to receiving back a refund for over-paying our taxes.
Spring is finally here and we are ready to leave our dormant nests.
