“What I’ve learned, the lessons from keeping and rereading journals, is that I’m a creature of habit. Though I allow my imagination to wander and travel places like a free spirit, I’m pretty earthbound and sensitive to the changing of the seasons, the length of daylight in a day, the heat of the sun on skin, the relationship of the stars and moon to our planet, the color of grass and leaves, the smell of the breeze as it changes from the smoky potpourri of autumn to the chilled neutrality of winter, followed by the musky odor of newly-turned earth and fragrant scent of flowers blooming in spring. And, finally, the conscious and unconscious cycles of life.” — An excerpt from the introduction of Seasons/Change, one of my poetry chapbooks.
Wednesday was the first day of Spring — I made it through another winter. As I age and navigate the Midwestern winters, it seems like more of a feat each year. My bones ache more, I stay in more than I go out, and when I do, I bundle up in layers with Kleenex in my pockets, walk like a penguin on the ice so I don’t fall, plow through the snowy roads in my compact SUV so I don’t get stuck, return home, turn on the fireplace, change into my pajamas, and slip under the throw on the couch so I stay warm. I’m like an ole’ hibernating bear. It’s dark out early in the evening when I return home and sometimes I leave the lights off, except for what emanates from the television, my smartphone, and fireplace. I call it “living the mole life.” There I go, mixing metaphors again.
Illustration Credit: Yaoyao Ma Van As
The March full moon, the Worm Moon, hung in the sky like a nightlight when I began this musing, reminding me that it’s the Spring Equinox, when day and night becomes equal. It’s also the last moon of the winter and the last supermoon of the year. This year the full moon features additional significance.
From the Old Farmer’s Almanac, “The March full Moon is particularly special because it reaches its peak on the same day as the spring equinox, on March 20, 2019. The last time the full Moon and the spring equinox coincided this closely (4 hours apart) was in March 2000, but the last time they occurred on the same date was on March 20, 1981!”
“This full Moon is also a supermoon, meaning the Moon will be nearly at its closest to Earth for the month of March. It’s the year’s third (and final) of three straight full supermoons. This means that the Moon may “appear” brighter and bigger than normal, provided the night sky is clear and dark.”
Creatures of Habit: Harbingers of Spring
The birds are back, the “you can bet on it” first signs of the changing season. Migrating birds are on the wing, Canadian geese, swans, whooping cranes, red-winged blackbirds, and of course, robins. Yes, some birds never left, the ravens and crows, and the trio of starlings who perched and pooped on my balcony railing as I drafted this essay. I heard songbirds outside the window of my writing alcove. Soon my balcony railing will be the meeting place for the house finches when they claim their territory.
Writing Alcove Desk
“As the snow melts and the sun begins to thaw the earth’s mantle, you can smell the vernal muskiness as the grass, once dormant, begins to turn green, and buds appear on the trees. Soon flowering bulbs will emerge from their winter hibernation. Spring is a time of reawakening, both in the natural and spiritual worlds.” — from The Itchy Restlessness of Spring Fever
Astronomical Clock
There are many signs of spring and events, including the artificial adjustments we’re required to make to our circadian clocks prompted by the start of Daylight Savings Time (DST) earlier this month. Though many still debate whether DST is still needed and question if the benefits outweigh the disruption and health risks, this Midwesterner values the additional hour of daylight after a winter of living in the dark.
“I wake up earlier in the morning and rise before dawn. I crack open the screen door to smell the earth begin to thaw, and watch the characteristics of the daylight change, the relationship of the sun to earth. Instead of reminiscing about the past, I’m more likely to think about the future and what lies ahead. I want to move, awaken my senses, feed my desires.” — from The Itchy Restlessness of Spring Fever
Besides the religious holidays beginning with Fat Tuesday and Lent that precede Easter and Passover, this past weekend was St. Patrick’s Day and I made my annual corned beef and cabbage the day after I attended a friend’s St. Patty’s Day dinner party potluck featuring the same entrée but with sides and desserts including Irish Soda Bread, brownies with green cream cheese and buttercream frosting, lemon bars, fruit, and something called “Magic Cookies” (I didn’t ask what made them magical, I simply enjoyed them). Many of the guests had Irish ancestry and those that didn’t were ready to send in their DNA to double-check their heritage.
I like Top Ten Lists, especially when seasoned with a little snarkiness and humor. I offer the following, not ranked — and I suggest you compile your own — you might learn something about yourself.
Top 10 Signs of Spring
- Spring Tune-Up: I’m not talking about car service here. As an older person I require regular maintenance, usually every quarter of the year beginning in winter through the spring. This year it began with an ambulance ride and a New Year’s Day visit to the ER with a nosebleed that wouldn’t stop. Next up, cataract surgery in both eyes with numerous follow-up appointments, eyedrop regimen, and retraining of my brain so I won’t need glasses anymore (I received monovision lenses). I had my quarterly periodontal appointment in between cataract surgeries, and today, a week after an appointment with an ENT doc who cauterized my nose, I ended up at Urgent Care today with another nosebleed that took a long time to stop. Oh, My! Coming up in April in this order, a hearing test plus follow-up visit with the ENT, a post-cataract eye exam, labs before my annual physical scheduled later in April (in “Medicare -speak” it’s an “Annual Wellness Check” which includes health and psychological questions. H-m-m-m, I hope Trump receives his!). I don’t consider myself high-maintenance, but apparently as I age I am.
- Tax Time: Before I actually calculate my taxes, I make wish lists of how I want to spend my tax returns. My wish list typically is about three times the size of what I’ll end up receiving. This year, after calculating State and Federal Taxes, I was grateful that I didn’t owe taxes to the Feds as many others have.
- SADD: A hybrid form of the traditional Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The main differences with Seasonal Attention Deficit Disorder (SADD) are the following symptoms: Daydreaming, mind wandering, inability to focus and complete the task at hand, and a measurable increase in one’s libido! Finally, see number 4 in the Top Ten Signs of Spring.
- Premature Changes in Attire: Before the weather actually becomes warm and mild, if the sun is out and the temperature is above freezing without a windchill, people start dressing like it’s spring, including me. First, I swap out my winter coat for my jean jacket and my boots for my slip-on shoes without socks. My friend Dawnne starts wearing cargo shorts — oh wait — I think she wears cargo shorts all year long. Yeah, we’re not snowflakes in Wisconsin.
- Dietary Changes: I have a sudden craving for fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, which are almost absent from my plate all winter. I crave nuts and seeds, fewer carbs and sugar, except for ice cream which suddenly appears on my grocery list. People begin craving red meat, grilled outdoors, accompanied by adult beverages consumed on porches or backyard patios.
- Spring Cleaning: As the daylight lasts longer it shines a spotlight on the haze on the windows and the dust collected on the blinds. I don’t think the furnace filters have been changed all year in my apartment because there’s so much dust that the dust bunnies have developed personalities. I open the screen door and soon the windows to let in the fresh air and remove the stagnant stale of winter. Spring cleaning appears on my weekly “to-do list,” however, since I suffer from SADD, I’m easily distracted and want to spend time outdoors in clothing not yet suitable for the weather.
- Outdoor Recreation: Though some Wisconsinites, especially the young and fit, or the older health-conscious boomer, spend time outdoors all winter, I consider myself a fair weather outdoor recreator. In the spring I begin to take walks, road trips with outdoor destinations, and in the past take inventory of my camping gear and stage it for quick access. Now I prefer “cabining” to camping. There’s an uptick in activities for those of us who hibernate all winter. People are seen taking walks, couples holding hands, singletons walking dogs, and parents pushing strollers. Once the chairs appear at the Memorial Union Terrace, people are out in droves.
- Curbside Snow Piles Melt: As the remaining curbside piles of snow and the parking lot mountains of dirt and sand melt, dog poop, some in bags and some free-ranging, begin to appear as well as a season’s worth of litter, mostly plastic bags, bottles, and aluminum cans.
- Yardwork: As crocuses, daffodils, tulips, and other flowering bulbs break through the remaining frostline, homeowners are seen outside, raking, removing debris, fallen tree limbs, picking up litter, and yes, dog-owners picking up in some cases a winter’s worth of you know what. Soon flowers will be planted, mulch replenished, and the sound of lawn mowers will replace snowblowers.
- Wisconsin Film Festival: A personal sign of spring for this cinephile is the annual Wisconsin Film Festival (WFF) in March or April. This year the festival runs 8 days from April 4 -11. While many people prefer to stay out of theaters on sunny days, this filmgoer joins thousands of others to fill-up Madison movie venues for this annual festival, the largest University-sponsored festival in the United States. Many Wisconsinites visit Mexico, the Caribbean islands, Florida or other warm places this time of year, yet this cinephile takes an annual staycation watching movies at the WFF. Again, this year I attended the First Look at the Fest, a fundraiser for the WFF and purchased my tickets in advance of the public sale while watching trailers and enjoying appetizers. I purchased 17 tickets, though I discovered that last year was my personal record of 22 tickets, though a couple of films fell off the list when I ran out of steam. This year I didn’t break any of my rules, no more than three films in a day, no late night films. Stay tuned for my reviews. Following are some photos, plus my film selections.
The changing seasons are one of nature’s gifts and a reminder of its power to affect our lives.
Standing in line at The First Look at the Fest to purchase WFF tickets. Photo Credit: James Kreul
First Look at the Fest, selecting films. Photo Credit: James Kreul
17 Wisconsin Film Festival tickets. See you at the movies!
Related Reading from Mixed Metaphors, Oh My!
The Itchy Restlessness of Spring Fever
Additional Reading About Spring
Moving quickly to what we share: I am seeing 12 films this year, also a record for me. I KNOW I’ll run into you somewhere along the many queues…. Love, Lewis
Lewis, running into you at the WFF is another sign of spring. We usually have a film or two in common. See you at the movies!
Happy spring! Lewis