The Month of March, by Any Other Name

First a howling blizzard woke us,

Then the rain came down to soak us,
And now before the eye can focus,
Crocus. ~~~ Lilja Rogers

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~~~ Charles Dickens

Spring is sooner recognized by plants than by men. ~~~ Chinese Proverb

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In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours. ~~~ Mark Twain

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Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love! ~~~ Sitting Bull

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A little Madness in Spring is wholesome, even for the King ~~~ Emily Dickinson

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Up from the sea, the wild north wind is blowing

Under the sky's gray arch; smiling I watch the shaken elm boughs, knowing it is the wind of March. ~~~ William Wadsworth

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The ides of March are come. ~~~ William Shakespeare

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Warm Sunshine in a Cup

Day and night temperatures rollick upwards and downwards ~ a seasonal roller coaster of warmer and cooler weather ~ almost near 60-degrees at times and then back down into the 20s and teens seemingly quite suddenly, wind chill factors not considered.

It is one of the wonderful paradoxes of the beginning of Spring ~ too warm to be cold and too cold to be warm And never quite in the middle either.

Subsequently it is a time of year when multiple layers of clothing are quite practical ~ peeling off and putting on, depending on the fluctuating degrees, the wind and the amount of activity engaged in at any one time.

We are committed coffee drinkers, we must at least have that first freshly brewed cup of coffee in the morning. Yet there are occasions during this time of the year when I turn to tea first thing in the morning instead.

Tea seems "lighter" somehow, more Spring-like ~ perhaps it is all in my head ~ but there is something about a good hot cup of Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Green Tea with Raspberry and various other types and flavors that revive me in a way that coffee doesn't seem to be able to at times.

One Spring only a few years ago, I became nearly obsessed with Green Tea with Raspberry.

I had received several gorgeous large tins of the Green Tea with Raspberry as a gift the year before and the tins were so beautiful that I hesitated opening them ~ thinking to myself I would save them for some "special occasion" instead. And then one dreary chill March evening, I finally opened one. And the aroma of Raspberries which seemed almost to jump out at me was like a basket of fresh fruit just picked from the bush. Fragrant, wholly ripe Raspberries fit for an award-winning pie.

It was a Spring in which for various reasons, it seemed we were almost always "on the road" ~ on our way to or from somewhere ~ and I would always pack at least two large thermoses of the Green Tea with Raspberry to take with us.

A small dollop of pure Honey mixed in ~ and it was like carrying a welcoming ray of warm sunshine in a bottle.

It too was a Spring of widely varying temperatures and occasional surprising wind chills ~ a time of year when folks of yesteryear used to employ their "home-made" tonics to renew their energies and to keep from getting ill.

The Green Tea with Raspberry was like a tonic for us that year. While we have been fortunate in our health, it somehow gave us an extra boost and helped to keep us from feeling run-down with all the traveling we were doing.

I always have a good supply in the pantry ~ along with a variety of other kinds ~ tea can be wonderfully versatile and fortunately keeps nearly as long as the hills, if properly stored. We still drink the Green Tea with Raspberry, although I am more likely to intersperse it with other flavors and types.

I still pack thermoses of it when we are traveling this time of year however, a wonderful habit which stayed with me ~ and because it seems, no other type of beverage will just quite do.

And still in this time of year, we turn to our Hot Apple Cider, undoubtedly a "tonic" in its own right ~ and one which seems to get us through the cooler and colder months of Fall and Winter each year ~ and well into the chilly days and nights of Spring as well.

While it was a bit warmer today, the reminder of the cold Winter's passing still blew on the icy breeze ~ and an occasional and surprising chill ran over me at times.

So before noon, a crock pot full of Hot Apple Cider was brewing and somehow the day ~ both indoors and out ~ was more delightful and somehow brighter than before.

Although on the few warm days we have seen, we will drink our Apple Cider chilled now ~ there is also something renewing about Apples and the resulting Cider which seems to refresh and re-invigorate our energies no matter what the weather ~ but especially at those times of year when there is a chill in the air of one degree or another with the Apple Cider served hot.

And perhaps it is like that with the blissful aroma and taste of Green Tea with Raspberry beginning in the early Spring. A warm and fragrant ray of sunshine in a cup or thermos which seems to taste like Spring itself as well.

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Somewhere, Spring

Somewhere not too far away to the south, the green sprouts of Spring break through the still-cold ground. From my younger years, I remember a book about the "Root Children" which showed the little boys and girls clad in deep bright Spring-time flower bud colors ~ being gently awakened from their underground beds by a grandmotherly-looking Mother Nature ~ to begin their annual journey upward.

The several illustrations for this story were created in a dreamy, filmy, yet very vivid watercolor style. And the "Root Children" looked so cozy in their thick quilt-covered wooden nature beds ~ in a just-as-cozy room under a large tree within its massive knarled roots ~ that I felt sorry for them that they had to be awakened ~ but glad at the same time, as they promised the bright sprouts and flowers of the soon-coming Spring.

Spring is on the gentle mountain breezes, Winter still in the fierce March winds which blow from time to time. And on some bright days it seems as if Spring has already arrived.

Bare trees examined closely show the leaf buds already forming on some, and soon ~ perhaps not soon enough for some ~ they will be covered in the small light green leaves finally giving way to the heavy cover of Summer.

Huge sunshine yellow sprays of Forsythia will soon embellish our rooms, with generous bouquets of apple and cherry blossoms as well. Oriental style arrangements of delicate Dogwood blossoms and Pussy Willow will precede the later blooming aromatic Lilacs which emit their heavenly scent throughout the entire house.

Always around the Easter holidays, I am lured successfully by pots of Hyacinths and bury my nose in the fragrant blooms while they are still on display in the stores. After growing and fully blooming and sharing their wonderfully intoxicating aroma, they are planted outdoors as additions to the perennial beds. This is an annual occurence as I cannot resist getting new pots of them for inside the house each year ~ and luckily we have the room to expand the outdoor beds as needed.

Each year we look forward to the Easter weekend and Easter Dinner which to us is also a celebration of the coming Spring ~ the joyful welcoming of a Season of Promise, the Renewed Year. In the meantime, we closely watch for the heralding blooms of the Snow Drops and colorful Crocuses to remind us once more that Spring has not forgotten us this year.

And anxiously wait for a proper breeze-filled March day to journey to a hilltop field and send our kites soaring towards the distant clouds.

Well into my adult years and even now, I have always wondered if the "Root Children" had little cups of hot tea after arising. A cup of hot herbal tea sounds good right now ~ to ward off the chill of yet another windy March night.


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