Looking for signs of spring

It has been two years since I experienced the season of spring. In 2013, my seasons were in a crazy order that I was not used to because of our South Africa trip. The southern hemisphere has the opposite seasons. I left Ohio during the first couple of weeks of winter only to go directly to a hot and dry summer in South Africa. Then fall and winter. I returned to Ohio in August at the tail end of summer. No spring.

After not having spring for a couple of years and after the kind of winter we are having I can’t wait for spring! I know I’m not alone in this. Most of us must be sick and tired of winter, right? There seems to always be snow on the ground and more falling. This winter has been tough. It was difficult to enjoy the snow earlier in the season when snow was new and fun because the temperatures were too cold to play in it.

Hopefully most of you squeezed in the joys of winter though when the temperatures rose a bit and did things like going sledding, skiing, ice skating and playing in the snow. But now I’m done with all the winter activities. I’m looking for spring.

Finding signs of spring is proving to be difficult but not entirely impossible. I appreciate seeing the sun more than the dreaded gray, wintry sky. I can hear birds singing and flying to and from our bird feeder by our kitchen window. It’s a relief to see them again. The snowdrop flowers started to bloom in our garden when it warmed up briefly only to be smothered by more snow and colder temperatures a week later.

There have been many times my family and I look to see what the weather is like in South Africa. Stellenbosch, the town where we lived, is in the middle of summer and experiencing hot days with temperatures in the 80s, 90s and 100s and cool nights with temperatures falling into the 60s. We dream about what we would do if we were there right now. We dream of going to the beach, wearing shorts and flip flops and walking into town for an ice cream treat. But then reality returns and we are back in this cold, snowy winter and back to boots, heavy coats, mittens and hats. Ugh!

March is coming in like a lion and I’m hoping that it leaves like a lamb. I am going to keep searching for signs of spring. I’m looking forward to seeing the trees and flowers bloom. I’m looking forward to seeing the green grass again!

I can’t wait to smell spring. Spring smells clean and fresh and is unique to other times of the year. I’m looking forward to riding my bike, playing outside and going for spring hikes. I’m looking forward to warmer days with the sun. What are you looking forward to this spring?

Audrey Ray

Sixth-grader at Bay Middle School

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Volume 6, Issue 5, Posted 9:46 AM, 03.04.2014