Friday, March 25, 2011

April Will Come, Come What May

Daffodils emerge despite lingering snow.
The calendar says spring but winter can't read nor does it care that we are all tired, tired, tired of the snow and cold. All it knows is what it is. But in this part of the world, one season is bound to give way to another and the earth knows, even if the wind does not, that change has begun. You can see it in the widening patches of grass where the snow has receded and in the emergence of flower stalks and leaves. You can feel it in the increasing warmth of the sun. You can hear it in the burbling voices of the returning song birds.

Today I hung a washing on the line - the first since November. Tonight my sheets will smell of spring winds and sunshine and I will dream of green.

Snow was heaped under the clothesline just two weeks ago...

18 comments:

Hilary said...

Oh if that doesn't scream "SPRING," I don't know what does. I bet they'll smell wonderful.

Tabor said...

My mom always hung sheets on the line and they always smelled so good when I crawled into bed at night.

Stafford Ray said...

From the land of eternal sunshine, it is hard to imagine the confining influence of snow that keeps clothes off the line for months, or don't you wash?
Gives a whole new meaning to Spring Cleaning! haha!

Pauline said...

Hilary - you can feel the change in the air even though it's still chilly!

Stafford - your comment made me chuckle. Years ago we had some old, die-hard mountain folk in town that sewed themselves into their long underwear in December and didn't wash it again till spring when they put it in a big wash pot on the wood cookstove to boil. I'm a bit more "modren." I take my washed clothes to the laundromat in the winter as I have a washer but no dryer in my cottage. Come December, the clothes merely freeze instead of drying ;)

Tabor - laundry fresh off the line is one of the finer things in life :)

steven said...

late winter sheets come in crackling and ripe with the scents of snow and old leaves. beautiful!!! steven

Reya Mellicker said...

What a beautiful invocation of the coming season! Clean sheets, drying over the last of the snow ... I love this, Pauline.

Pauline said...

Steven - exactly. My but my bedding smells good tonight!

Reya - the snow is going, slowly but surely. It's such a pleasure to be able to use the clothesline again!

Judith said...

Glad to know why Mother Nature is such a b...h to us --- she can't read the calendar!
Any literate person knows spring is past due ---
Pauline, I love the two photos!

Brian Hayes said...

steven said scents of ripe which took me to re-read 'sewing themselves into underwear'

Pauline said...

Judith - ignorance is bliss ;)

Brian - indeed! I ca still recall THAT smell, too!

Marion said...

I went out on a sunny, rather warmish day the other day to plant some early seeds. To my surprise, and I don't know why I should be surprised, the ground was still frozen solid, even though the snow had long gone from that particular patch under the trees. But even from the frozen earth, I could see the tips of daffodils and other bulbs reaching for the sun.

Just a bit more patience is all I need, I guess...sigh! Love the photo of the sheets...I'll be able to hang washing in a couple of months. I do it just for that wonderful scent.. xo

Brian Miller said...

mmm...love the smell of sheets dried outside....bet you sleep good tonight...

Russell said...

We are still a ways away from spring out here in Iowa. Last week we had some 70 degree days and that turned some grass green.

But now we are back into the 20s and 30s. Winter is still hanging on but by mid April I will begin to hear the sound of lawn mowers again -- one of my sounds that confirms spring is really here! Heh!

Take care.

June said...

I have to have a clothesline put up.
I HAVE to.
I NEED line-dried sheets!

Gary said...

I took great joy in seeing the crocus blooming on my front yard soon to be followed by the dogwood. My classroom has daffodils in bloom and tulips. The sunshine reinvigorates me. Welcome spring!

Unknown said...

We had some gorgeous spring days, but are in bit of a deep freeze and snow and ice cover again.
But it is spring nevertheless. It's my absolute favourite season.

I used to hand clothes at our first home, but it is frowned on here.

When we move in a few years as some of the children move on ( hopefully :) ) then I will be doing this again. There isn't anything quite like it , you are right.

Pauline said...

Marion - the ground here is still frozen too, but soon, soon I'll be planting seeds!

Brian M- dreams are sweet on wind dried sheets :)

Russell - and that heavenly scent of cut grass!

June - yes you do!


Gary - the leaves and stems are poking through here but no blooms for a few weeks!

Deb - there will be no going back to a clothes dryer until next winter :)

ethelmaepotter! said...

Dropping by to say thanks for visiting me!

LOVE the picture of the sheets on the clothesline - makes me remember my youth. I honestly don't think Ive seen a clothesline in years and years...but, oh, what sweet memories.

I can so identify with your last remains of snow as the daffodils rise - we had a week of 80 degree days, but today, we've had snow flurries. Everything is in full bloom, yet the flakes are falling.

Have a great week!