It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. — Charles Dickens
Welcome March! I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival!
It seems Dickens and I have the same vision of March… it can be glorious in the sunshine (when the sun shines here in Pittsburgh), but in the shade you’d think winter was still here!
While we had all kinds of melting in the last week of February here in Pittsburgh, I have memories of the “Mud Season” that Michigan does so very well in the spring. We have a tiny version here… our ground must thaw more quickly so it is only a Brief Interlude of Mud in Pittsburgh. This is not something I miss about Michigan, lol. Despite that melting, we will still have some very chilly days… perfect weather for a sleeveless tunic with a sweater!
Your wild winds always, always take me back to my earliest reading days with Maurice Sendak’s Chicken Soup with Rice. I remember walking home from the bus stop reciting it on blustery days with my arms out for balance as the wind pushed me along. I just loved reciting the “blowing once, blowing twice, blowing chicken soup with rice” part the best.
March makes my thoughts turn to my garden and how it might grow this year. I love looking through seed catalogs and at garden images on Pinterest! This year my goal is to certify my backyard!
March also brings a time change and Pi-day (March 14th), St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th), and March Madness begins March 18th. Oh..and the Knitter’s Pattern Party begins March 29!
But the best thing of all that you bring is SPRING on March 20th. I am hoping for a Lion and Lamb month… and I am so ready!
What about you? What are your hopes for March?
Photo by Irina Iriser from Pexels
I do love living in an area whwere we have four seasons, and I am so ready for Spring to come in! Fletch and I were just talking about mud season the other day – our back yard is looking that way with all the melting we’ve been having. Luckily our mud season is not as bad as Vermont’s – up North it can drag on for months!!! Another grey day here Kat, but when I stick my head out the door I can smell Spring!
I loved that Maurice Sendak book — I still have my little paperback copy somewhere on my bookshelf! Of course, now when I think about it, I hear Carole King singing the words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9VvlI6sHJw
I hope spring continues to emerge in March, and that the gradual warming we’re seeing isn’t just “false spring”. That Dickens quote describes March perfectly. We’ve got piles of snow interspersed with mud, but it’s all better than getting more snow. It’s a great month stretching in front of us, filled with hope, possibilities, and spring!
I love March for so many reasons! I’m looking forward to a good month, and hope it will deliver. We already have daffodil stems popping up!
I am hoping that March will bring my COVID vaccine! I have not been able to find an appointment anywhere yet but remain hopeful as I am in the right age group! There should be some perks to being old! 🙂
My birthday is at the very end of March, so I always pay special attention to that Lion-Lamb thing. We’re getting a rather “lamb” start to March here in my corner of the world, which always makes me a little nervous! (I much prefer a “lamb” ending for my birthday. . . ) And YAY for certifying your garden. It’s actually a pretty easy process — and then you can display a very cool sign, letting everyone who visits know you’re certified! While you’re at it, you can also certify as Monarch Way Station. It has many of the same requirements — plus milkweed.
I love the goal you have for your garden. I certified my yard at the cabin many years ago.
I have many native plants in the flower beds.
One of the many benefits are I can harvest colors(black-eyed susans, queen anne’s lace and jewelweed to name a few) from my garden to dye yarn with.
another benefit is I get to watch the birds and pollinators visiting my blossoms.
one of my favorite flowers for pollinators is swamp milkweed. contrary to the name it grows well in many landscapes that aren’t swampy. it is less invasive than common milkweed and attracts so many monarchs – butterflies and caterpillars.
if you would like some seeds I would be happy to send you some.
Hooray for spring! Even though March always feels like such a long slog of a month (no holidays for public employees!) it brings big changes in the weather and the way things look outside and for that I’m grateful.
March came in like a lion for me…a tough diagnosis, just last evening, for my brother after a biopsy 🙁 So March is going to be a month of HOPE for me, suitable for spring. It might mean a solo and impromptu trip to be with him in CA. It will teach me more flexibility and underscore the truth of The Serenity Prayer. An intentional ‘one step at a time’ approach… counter to any ‘snowball effect’ (literal and figurative! Especially since we get the majority of our Colorado snow in March.) I’m certifying, too! A happy thing… So, I guess I’d have to say in March, I’m going to focus on LIFE. Thanks for the opportunity to reflect. I hadn’t stopped to do that yet.
woops! That wasn’t supposed to be a reply. Just a normal comment. I’m a bit out of sorts today…
Hooray for March. Today felt like Spring. I even had the window open a bit while I made dinner. The air seems a little fresher.
Certifying your yard seems like a fun idea! I’m going to look into it some more 🙂
And NH has quite a mud season – I’m glad to hear that yours is relatively short!!
I’m so happy that March is here and can’t wait to follow along with your spring and summer gardens, Kat!
we still have snow as far as the eye can see but there are patches of brown grass on the side of sloping hills, so there’s progress in the melting. Yesterday was the first day Frodo could go out the back without sinking into the snow and disappearing!