Friday, March 12, 2010

Spring Balm for the Winter-Ravaged Soul

Okay, I KNOW it's not technically spring until March 20, according to the calendar. But just ask me what I think about the season designations as assigned by the calendar and I will laugh derisively. And then probably swear a little bit.

ANYWAY.

Whatever the calendar says, yesterday sure as hell felt like spring to me. Sunny, warm (maybe 50 degrees? I didn't check the thermometer), snowdrops up all over the place, and I swear some of the grass had a faint greenish tinge.

So of course I had to go outside and do some manual labor. Not much. Just a little. I moved some clay pots that had been upturned in the magnolia bed and were covering the emerging crocuses. I shifted the cold frame so it was right over the tiny volunteer lettuce plant I'm trying to get going. I stacked some more wood A. had split so we would be ready for the cold rain that's been forecast for this weekend.

Yes, cold rain. Also an unfortunate part of spring. But I had this one day of sunshine and warmth as reassurance that yes, winter is on its way out and warmth and life are returning to Blackrock.

Amen.

P.S. Cubby celebrated his month-day yesterday by FINALLY losing that nasty umbilical cord stump. Perhaps I am an unnatural mother, but I did not weep bitter tears at losing the last vestige of my son's time in the womb and his last physical link to me. I thought it was gross and inconvenient and I'm so happy I can give him a REAL bath now.

8 comments:

Alyssa said...

Yay for Cubby! Give that kid a well deserved real bath. I always loved taking baths with baby - so relaxing for both of us.

Anonymous said...

I was kind of grossed out by the umbilical cord stump, and secretly hoped it wouldn't fall off in my presence (it did...eeeegh).

Anonymous said...

Cubby waited to release the cord until it warmed up. He's no dummy..he didn't want a bath when it was freezing cold.:) Beth


word verification lesspl

what the polite skinny kid said when he was asked if he wanted more of the cake...while being jabbed in the ribs by the hungry kid next to him..'cause the hungry kid wanted the skinny kids piece too.

Mayberry Magpie said...

Wait 'til he gets his first tooth. That one made me cry big salty tears over my first-born.

Drew @ Cook Like Your Grandmother said...

My wife wants to know if you pressed it in a scrapbook, like you're going to do with his first lock of hair.

Mayberry, you cried because of his first tooth? Umm ... he wasn't bottle-fed, was he?



Word verification: lizess -- Nickname for Liza Minnelli's former "husband".

jean said...

Gah. I couldn't wait for that cord thingie to fall off. Talk about gross.

FinnyKnits said...

So glad you got some signs of spring there, too.

It's, of course, raining again today. Which is what I get for being all, "Hey - I'm sitting on my back porch in the sunshine with flip-flops on!" yesterday.

I'm such a tool.

Susan said...

I had no idea about the umbilical cord until I was already pregnant and it was too late to just get a puppy.