1) Green sprouts of perennial flowers emerging through the leaf mulch, surely to suffer frost damage and be snowed on, yet still poking their tenacious selves up. Oh hardy perennials, how I love you.
2) Two pairs of rubber boots outside the back door, caked heavily in mud.
3) The existence of mud, dirt, and leaf mulch in many unexpected places in the house.
4) Muddy dog footprints in the house.
5) Grimy hand towels in the bathroom. (“But I actually DID use soap” Jake says, puzzled.)
6) Piles and piles of muddy laundry. Do you sense a theme emerging?
7) Spring fever. Ahem. I will decorously leave it at that.
8) I AM ONLY WEARING ONE SHIRT. Yes, like a chrysalis shedding its cocoon, I have put aside my thick sweaters to reveal a mere long sleeved t-shirt. How’s that for an Easter metaphor?
Honestly, I was starting to believe that this winter was actually going to last forever, what with the constant record snowfalls and below-average temperatures. It sort of felt like being at home with a small infant, the constant feeding and no sleep, and the to-do list that looked like this: shower, eat something, wander around in a semi-comatose state. To me, it always felt like the young-baby stage was going to last forever, that I would be exhausted forever, that I would be feeding an infant for the better part of an hour every two to three hours. Intellectually, I knew it wouldn’t last forever, but my emotional self didn’t really believe it. But what do you know, I now have two preschoolers on my hands, who can actually be relied upon to do a few things for themselves and don’t depend on me for every single thing. And just like that, the winter is over and spring is here.
Hardy perennial high five!