March Madness

Seeing this title, I'm sure you are all surprised that I would dedicate an entire blog post to college sports, and you'd be right. I'm no sports fanatic...I enjoy watching sports sometimes, but let's face it: I am not a sports buff. So, this post is about a different kind of March Madness.

March is what I like to call the "bi-polar" month. It's the month when all of us are inflicted with Spring fever; where we thrill at the sight of any green peering through the melting snow. Spring is on its way; there's no mistaking it. The days and nights are warmer, the birds are singing their beautiful melodies, squirrels and chipmunks are skittering about excitedly, and the green is indeed expanding its territory over the once prominent blanket of snow.

Regardless of the sure signs of Spring however, none of us really settle into Spring in March in New York...there's no point. Spring in New York comes in stages. One day it'll look and feel like we should dig into the ground and plant things, and the next day we have to shovel ourselves out.

Now, because it's March, this snow is totally bearable. Spring is on its way; we won't see much more of it, so we might as well enjoy it! The best snow hikes always happen in March. Although I will admit, one of our latest March hikes was almost unbearable because the snow was so wet...I almost didn't make it out of there!

In March, Brian and I always feel an incredible amount of restlessness. We've been still all winter. We hike whenever possible, but the bulk of our time is spent reading. Cabin fever is just as strong as Spring fever these days, and the only way to cure it is to get outside and do something.

The other day, Brian's dad mentioned that he needed to split some wood. He was surprised when Brian and I jumped at the chance to help. This was exactly what we needed! There is really nothing better than working outside. So on Saturday, we bundled up a little, cleared a spot in the snow, and split wood. It was so invigorating!

(Doesn't Brian look like such a country guy. Oh don't worry, I have my very own red plaid barn coat that I was sporting that day...I just didn't get in front of the camera)

We could have gone on a hike to ease the cabin fever, but to tell you the truth, it wouldn't have helped nearly as much. There's something about working that really makes you feel better; especially if you're working outside. This might sound totally weird, but that's what Brian and I love. We enjoy working in the garden as much, and perhaps more, than hiking. In the Lord of the Rings, when they are describing hobbits, they say that the hobbits "had a love for things that grow", or something like that. I guess we're just like hobbits in that way. We really love to see things grow, and we love to help them along the way. In fact, this summer, on our little cement slab of a back patio, Brian and I are going to grow: pumpkins, beans, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, lettuce, beets, cucumbers, and a bunch of herbs. I'm so excited, I can taste them already.

There's no real point in getting so excited yet though. I can't even plant them for at least another month. So in the meantime, Brian and I are busying ourselves looking for work to do. This weekend, I think we're going to make a cold frame so that I can plant in early April, then maybe we'll start ripping out last year's fencing, then maybe we can take out those trees in Brian's parent's yard so we can expand the garden...and then who knows? I can't wait to get my hands dirty everyday. I guess we've decided to live by Calvin's life motto: "I say, if your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life.” Sounds like a good mantra to me.