Strong hints of spring have definitely been in the air this past week as temperatures slowly climb out of the single digits and grass starts to green up.
While winter is always long and cold, I didn’t find this year’s version exceptionally bad. At least, I was able to work outside most every weekend, without having to struggle unduly with the elements.
I found myself wondering why, then, this past weekend did it feel like I had so much yard work to catch up on?
I really thought I was ahead of the game towards the middle of March - pruning done, cuttings burned, some building maintenance underway - I thought I was way ahead of schedule.
But, let the weather warm up a few degrees, and notice things start to grow again, and all of a sudden there’s a list of yard chores longer than the winter that just passed.
There’s something about the beginning of growing season, if you are a grower (of anything) that brings on a sense of urgency outdoors, of things to do and things to complete before summer weather hits and it becomes time to relax, not work outside.
There is also a problem with spring weather, in that it can be more vexatious than winter for planning outdoor activities.What starts off as a pleasant Saturday morning can cloud over so that by noon the sky is opening up and a cold wind is bringing on memories of winter past, just when I’m thinking of restaining that faded siding, or finishing the fascia on the garage - a project begun last year.
I also have the lawn to rake, the garden to plant, the trailer to get seasonally ready, the irrigation to turn on (and reapair) and all the things in between that weren’t even on my mind before the growing season began.
Oh yes, and then there is always the machinery that I forgot to maintain last fall - and now it won’t work when I need it.
The dull chainsaw, the string trimmer without the string, the lawnmower full of bad gas - you get the picture.
It’s funny though - I’ve never had the inclination to convince my wife we should sell and move to a strata condo, where we wouldn’t have to lift a finger.
As much as it can be frustrating at times, and as much as it can sometimes leave me feeling as though I’m a slave to the household, I really do enjoy having a backyard and the excuses it provides to getting outside.
I’d probably not know what to do with myself if I didn’t have all these things on my mind come spring - it gives my weekend purpose, provides a bit of exercise, and sometimes a feeling of pride in accomplishment.
That’s what I’ll be telling myself for the next few weekends, anyway.