Spring Thaw 2009

Spring Thaw (03/18/09)

We're well into our Spring thaw, snowmelt trickling, rather than tumbling down the concrete gutters of our suburban street. Rain is predicted over the weekend, which will help to green up our area, though it attenuates the severity of seasonal flooding for our neighbors in the Red River Valley, to the west.

For the moment, though, most unshaded areas of the lawn are clear of ice and left with a straw-colored bedhead of last Autumn's grass. Elm branches gravid with rosy fists of buds, sway and dip with easterly gusts of a fitful, undecided breeze, and groundcover Vincas and Dragon's Blood luxuriate in the warmth of sun they will be denied when Spring rounds in to Summer.

The kids' Spring break caught me off guard, so I've taken just one day of vacation to be home with them. It's turned out to be a perfect day. Although sweatshirt and jeans are necessary to sit here, there's enough sun on the front stoop for a slow meal of smoked turkey and cheddar on pumpernickel, and enough time for my mug of decaf to become lukewarm.

My children are now old enough to get their own breakfast and actually clean up after themselves. They get along well enough that my daughter can decide to bake brownies and tell her brother in no uncertain terms that he can't touch them until they're cooled and frosted. And he complies.

And I can take time to sit on this step in the sun, and scribble notes, or survey the wakening yard for Spring clean up. I can hear a thump and a crash and a holler, and know that it will be followed by laughing. These are happy noises.

And I know that if given some space, they will come join me outside. They will tell me about coordinating their trailing leg while running hurdles for track, how they came up with their newly-created Flair, and how many people have downloaded it on Facebook, and will ask for help in painting their toenails green and black for Spring. I need only sit here.