Spring is in the Air

March 21^st comes around and we love to hear the words ‘spring is in the air’ and yet this winter seems to be hanging on with a vengeance.  Across the country we are suffering from snow or ice storms with nary a tulip anywhere.  For those of us who simply hang in there, staying in the country and enduring the weather, we may find ourselves getting down into the doldrums or even into a depression.  It is amazing how the weather can affect our sense of well being.  A bright sunny day will find us smiling and saying good morning to everyone we meet but a grey and miserable day will find us in much the same mood.  In my part of the country many people are also affected by our Chinook winds which can cause them terrible migraine headaches.  I’ve had a few of those myself.

       So what are some of the solutions we use to help cope with weather blues?  Closing the blinds and curling up with a good book?  Baking a cake and eating half of it before anyone else arrives to enjoy it?  Scrubbing the house clean from top to bottom?  Railing against fate?  Braving the elements and walking off the cobwebs of the mind?  One, none, or all of the above?  Most humans have an amazing coping system for whatever comes upon them and after it is all over we ask ourselves, how did I manage to get through that?

       This morning I am looking out my window and the sun is shining brightly, the wind has picked up and although it is balmy now the forecast is calling for a spring blizzard with 25 centimeters of snow.  In the middle of April.  That’s life in Canada but somehow I will manage to get through the depressing reality and only look wistfully once or twice at the optimistic lawn furniture being covered with snow.

       C’est la vie.