All nature seems at work,
slugs leave their lair
The bees are stirring-
Birds are on the wings
And winter slumbering
In the open air
Wears on his face
A dream of spring.
S. T. Coleridge
Isn't Coleridge's metaphor of winter perfectly defining? I imagine the most detailed picture of winter (masculine) with a spirited smile as he dreams of spring(feminine) yet to come. I think I might wear a dream of spring on my face too these days, especially after some of the springlike days we have had this week. Or at least the dream of spring has greatly affected my afternoon pursuits.
After reading in last year's journal that my lettuce and spinach seeds had sprouted by mid-March, I plowed my little rows with a blue- handled spade and carefully planted the light- as-a-feather lettuce seeds and round spinach seeds into the rich brown soil. The empty seed packages now edge the rows and so begins the wait... for those first sightings of green.
The winter's dirt and grime was hosed off the white wicker porch furniture and then the job of giving it a fresh coat of white paint was begun. Shake, spray, shake, shake-S-P-R-A-Y... a rhythm all its own.
When not being carried around in the arms of the six year old owners, the dolls commenced their first sun bath of the season. Like me after their brush with winter, they were in dire need of those extra doses of Vitamin D!
