Harbingers

Harbingers

Here come the robins and red winged blackbirds. The harbingers of spring. Time to get prepared. Sweep off the decks of all the leftover leaves from the fall cleanup mistakes that were uncovered as the snow disappeared. 

Bring out the outdoor furniture to prepare for the warmer days to come. Look forward to the color and the sights that begin to blossom as the months proceed. The joys of Spring.

But wait, I forgot something. As March and April soon pass and the beauty of the landscape begins to grow. Ah-choo!  Suddenly I’m reminded – Ah-choo! Of what follows those first few months that will lead to Summer. Ah-choo! With the new grass that begins to grow. Ah-Choo! So do the allergies. 

I could have sworn my car was colored blue; now it appears to be a spotty shade of green. Ah yes, when the blue of car combines with the yellow of pollen, one gets green. 

The deck, so spotless following my post winter sweeping of old leaves, makes my heart sing with joy. That would be a short lived joy. Who asked all those oak trees to cast all their droppings on everything. Ah-Choo! That’s all right; I’ll just sweep it up today and will be able to have a clean deck to view… Until 2 hours later, when the deck is covered again. Pooh on you oaks. 

But there are the birds we have to look forward to as we fill our feeders and enjoy the variety of those high flyers as they gather around the feeder to eat. But who invited the Grackles and Woodpeckers. Didn’t anyone teach them table manners? How to share food? With their picky eating habits, they dump everything on the ground before they find the 2 seeds they actually want to consume. And whatever they don’t get, those squirrels with their little tool kits figure out not only how to access the food in the feeders, but actually take the feeders apart. 

Ah yes, Spring is a tough act to follow. One has to wade through the mass of destruction, until well into Summer before one can enjoy the pleasures of the outdoors again. Did I say enjoy the pleasures? I obviously forgot the stinging insects, poison ivy, mowing the lawn and sunburn.

Looking forward to Winter.