AH SPRING, THE SNARKY VERSION

Yes Spring is here folks, for a lot of us anyway. Oh the signs. The smell of liniment on rebelling muscles. Fresh air full of pollen that induces rapid fire sneezing.  Those surprise pains from unused muscles and arthritic joints that scream from the unaccustomed abuse.

Don't forget, spiders in the bathtub,which are as reliable as robins foretelling the season, and those new born wasps dive bombing you as they work on flight control. Ah yes, Spring.

Can you believe Positive Patti has penned those words? Yes I did and do think these thoughts each year for about a week or so. Each year the snark period lasts a bit longer but thankfully it does go away and PP returns, battered but happy.

Pretty sure it is my advancing age for now days when I look outside as Spring arrives, I still see the beauty as the world greens up but I also see the debris and destruction that Winter has left behind and know it is up to me to restore order. Oh if only flowers grew with the abandon and vigor of weeds.

I swear my Henbit resumes growing just seconds after I have cut its head off with the lawnmower. My lawn turns almost solid lavender in the Spring. Pretty but invasive. It also sprawls vigorously into my flower beds and must be hand pulled.

Henbit is an edible plant, I have just never found a good recipe for it and raw it has the bite of fresh kale. Hum, wonder if I could make Henbit chips?

And that is the truth. 

When I bought my property I moaned that it was only an acre. Come Spring I moan that it is a bleeping acre.

First comes the sore, winter softened muscles along with stiff, achy arthritic joints. Knowing the pain is temporary helps a little.

Then as inevitable as squirrels eating bird seed, I will tweak my back lifting something heavy awkwardly which will lay me up for 3 days (just completed that).  Luckily, those 3 days as usual coincided with Spring rains that keep me inside anyway. Forced R & R that might be God's way of making me take a break.

And I finally relearn that cloudy days can still cook the skin and that while sunscreen is a dirt magnet, it does work and is necessary. Big hats don't cover everything.

Then like magic after days of misery, the pains ease and I feel a bit of strength return. Spring becomes once more a period of renewal--for Nature and me.

The first days of Spring are a yearly ritual that I wish I could bypass and magically land at the end of the second week with the pain bypassed. Just haven't figured out how to do that yet. Each year I know what will happen, I grumble about it,  then  get past it and yes, I am almost there.

This book might be a good investment for next year. Too late this year for me. 

As  the pains ease, a smile of pleasure creases my face as I enjoy the fruits of my labors. Lying in my hammock and smelling the sweetness of  newly-mown grass is hard to beat. I am able to ignore and put off for later those beds that are still over run.  Much work left to do but I am retired and have the time. No need to do it all in one day.  I just peck away at it.

When the day comes that Spring chores are too much for me, I will sprinkle weed killer on everything that isn't grass and just ride my mower into the sunset over what is left that resembles grass while sipping an iced coffee. There is always a plan B.

Does Spring beat you up in the beginning or do you enjoy the rebirth
pain free?