Dreaming of Spring

Imagine . . . a warm, sunny, spring day. I mean so warm that you can feel the heat on your skin. You can even feel a little bit of humidity when you breathe in. Wearing jeans and short sleeves even with the wind blowing a bit like it usually does at the beginning of spring. No need for a jacket. The kids wearing shorts and flip-flops. The kids in and out all day playing outside and then coming in a bit muddy. The sound of four-wheelers up and down the driveway. The pink skin on their faces after being in the bright sun just for one day. Turning off the heat, throwing those windows open and filling your house with fresh air. Spring cleaning and organizing. The hum of the washer and the smell of fabric softener when you are close to the outside dryer vent while you are working around the yard. The tired feeling you have at the end of the day when winter is finally over and you can get out and work your body's muscles instead of being cooped up inside. The smell of smoke in your hair and clothes when you get to roast hot dogs on an open fire. Looking at the stars and enjoying the perfectly warm evening before the summer bugs come out. Sounds great, doesn't it? Well, it was. Today was pretty much what I described, except that it is January 3!

Today is one of the reasons I feel blessed to live in Southwest Missouri. We usually get to enjoy a few unusually warm days in the winter. Those days are like when you find a five or ten dollar bill in a pair of pants you haven't worn since the last time they were in season! You knew you had the money at one time, but you had simply forgotten about it. These days are quite similar. You know we've had them, but you don't really expect to see them- they just happen one day. You have to enjoy them fully, which we did. My version of the spring day was a bit different, because my "spring" cleaning was actually taking down all of the Christmas decorations and replacing them with the snowmen that I will finish off winter with. (A bit odd for such a warm day, but hey, it won't last long.) And I didn't really work all that hard around the yard. I was actually getting some wood for the fire pit to roast our hot dogs. Plus, that load of laundry in the dryer I was writing about is wrinkling in the same spot, four hours later, but oh well. Otherwise, everything else is pretty accurate. I hope that you all enjoyed your Saturday as much as we did. Remember- don't take a warm day for granted, because if you live in Missouri you know it could drop thirty degrees overnight.

If you listen carefully (and turn up the volume) you can hear the real coyotes in the background which my children stirred up before I was able to get the camera going.