Hello! Hope everyone is having a great February so far.
So…February. The time of year when cold is starting to get old, but spring is still a month away (technical spring, that is.) This is the time of year when I start really wishing I could go out and garden. I want to be out in the cool air, my hands in the dirt, planting seeds that will soon grow into vibrant flowers. I want to see green things replacing the dull brown we see all winter, and see sun filtering through the leaves of trees. I want refreshing spring rainstorms, and frosty mornings that bloom into perfect days. I want to stay out past 6PM and still have light!
I have no idea where this is, but I want to go!
Most people call this spring fever, but I have my own name for it: a secret garden mood. Now, I confess that I’ve never read The Secret Garden (though it is on my list!) but I’ve watched the movie many times and it is one of my favorites. For those of you who’ve seen it, do you remember that scene where there’s rain and sun and we watch the flowers push through the earth and bloom? That scene defines my secret garden mood. That, and Louisa May Alcott’s Flower Fables, especially “The Frost King.” (If you haven’t read it, find a copy! There’s a pretty inexpensive collection of Louisa May Alcott’s work on Kindle that has it.) I just…this time of year I just want to be around growing things. But, of course, Colorado had to decide to get super cold again, and as of yet there isn’t even snow. So I have to satisfy my secret garden mood by sitting on the couch in my wool socks, tea in hand (it is cold I tell you,) rereading Flower Fables, watching The Secret Garden, and trying to come up with something to write that will satisfy my need for spring and not turn into another novel (at least, not yet 😉 )
On the bright side of all this, the cold weather means that I made serious progress on Fire and Ice this past weekend. I’m hoping that the trend of light-homework continues so I can write even more, but even if it doesn’t I’ll make progress: I can only take writing papers for so long before I have to write something fun or risk going insane.
So…how do you deal with spring fever?