Live Free and Blog : Spring

The first day of spring

NHLife — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:51:00 GMT

Rejoice! Spring is here. Put away those skis and break out those golf balls. But first, it looks like we have to deal with - yet another - storm. This one is expected to pack wind gusts of up to 50 MPH. That ought to send those golf balls flying! That is if you can even find the green. That depends totally on which part of the state you live in.

A few years ago, a gust of wind pulled down a rather large (over 100 ft. tall) pine tree and yanked it right down on my near-new Jeep Liberty, blowing out the windows, scratching every single panel with branches and blocking the exit to our home. We were watching some awards show before bed and heard (read felt) what sounded like an earthquake or an explosion of some sort. We turned on our security lights and couldn't believe our eyes! The tree landed in the worst possible position, rolling off the garage and landing directly down the middle of my vehicle. It was totalled. That taught me one thing. I should have parked the car in the garage.

That's spring in New Hampshire. Yes, there are tulips, budding leaves, and there is always the (slightly) warmer weather. But you also have to endure mud season, potential flooding, high winds and potholes that can swallow your tires whole. Oh, I'm not complaining. It's been a long winter.

I'm absolutely thrilled that the wind chill is disappearing ever-so-slowly, the every-other-day snowstorms will soon be behind us, and the birds will be returning to chip in the trees.

But, you definitely won't catch me golfing anytime soon.

Doldrums....

NHLife — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:21:00 GMT

I looked up the definition of doldrums today. Not because I didn't know what it meant, but because I wanted to put it down here. So you would know what I'm feeling and thinking these days.

"Doldrums" is defined as a "period of stagnation or slump" and also as "a period of depression or unhappy listlessness".

That's it. That's what happens when it snows nearly every day from November through March. Some call it cabin fever, some call it Seasonal Affective Disorder. Others call it the winter blues. I like to consider it a form of "March Madness".

So, I decided to write a letter. Dear Mother Nature: The sidewalks have all but disappeared. The roads are closing in. We are trapped - trapped! - in our homes. We need out! Do you think you could possibly allow spring to be sprung already, because I'm not sure how much longer we can make it. It was festive in December. Fun in January. Tolerable in February. But it's March and the crocus bulbs have no idea what to do. I'm writing for them and for us. And, what's up with New York City? They can walk on their sidewalks. Something isn't right here. On an up note, thank you for not making everything frigid and wind-chilly too. Signed, Seasonally Affected.

I told you I was going mad.

"Spring is near", repeat

NHLife — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:00:00 GMT

I've got nothing today. Just the mantra of "spring is near" ringing in my head like a bad commercial. Not soon enough, I think. So I'll pacify myself with photos instead. Here's one:

See the ice melting away?