Hello Spring!

Hello Spring! It’s Nice to See You Again!

As I begin this piece, it is the day the kids in our area will officially begin their spring break holiday from school. It is only fitting that we take a peek into what that actually means. For kids, an entire week off from school is plenty cause for celebration but on a much larger scale, we do actually issue in the first day of the season during their spring break (March 20).

Spring is marked by the vernal equinox, which literally means “equal night” because the sun is positioned above the equator. While in this position, both day and night are practically equal all over the world. But what does that mean to us? It means that following that shift, that tiny little tilt, the sun will begin to shine more directly on us thereby causing the warmer (at first, but very hot by August) temperatures.

Many years ago people had more practical reasons for celebrating the beginnings of spring: crops could be planted and harvested, certain animals birthed their young, more daylight nurtured the growing plants for food and the longer days allowed for more outdoor activities and work when our ancestors did not have the luxury (and sometimes burden) of electricity. Those times have certainly changed, and if you ask people today what spring means to them, they will probably say that it’s just nicer weather.

It’s the time when all the plants are waking up; it’s the early morning following a winter’s sleep; it’s the beginning of a new season. Many of us will begin readying our ground for small gardens, while others will turn the sprinklers back on, have the funny blue stuff sprayed on the lawns, and make multiple trips to the garden centers for bright flowers to adorn the landscapes. It’s the most pleasant time of the year in which we actually enjoy the outdoors because soon, the heat of summer will creep in and assault us.

Yes, spring is certainly a welcomed time for many reasons. Isn’t it just plain funny that everything was covered in that blanket of white just a few short weeks ago? Now nature has thrown back those covers and is yelling to spring, “Wake up!” Let’s all get out and enjoy the return of this beautiful time of year!