Signs of Spring in Ottawa

April 1, 2008 by Barbara.

MamaBlogga is hosting a carnival with the theme “savour the season” and it comes at just the right time for me because I’ve been noticing - desperately looking for - signs of spring lately.

When Reid and I went to the sugar bush a couple of weeks ago, I noted that the sky was blue again, an unquestionable blue rather than the grey or icy blue that we see in the winter. It wasn’t all of the way to summer blue but it held promise.

This past weekend, I noticed that Reid’s shadow was darker and bolder as it raced across the ground and my shadow seemed darker, too, when Reid jumped on it with glee. Reid remembers well the game of jumping on shadow heads that Aunt Karin taught her on the streets of New York City two years ago. I suppose the change in shadows means that the sun is stronger now. And mentioning that brings to mind the warmth of the car when it was parked outside last week and also when I was driving to and from Wheatley at Easter. Yes, the sun is coming back to our hemisphere. The smart women at daycare have been paying attention and we’ve already been asked to send sunscreen. A weather report over the weekend included reference to a UV index of “moderate”. Not too sound too much like a old lady but it seems that we didn’t used to worry about UV so early in the year.

Reid didn’t need to ask if it was “waking up time” when she awoke on Saturday morning. Her room was filled with sunlight in spite of the blind that was drawn. The sun was shining to encourage us to get up and face the day. With the early return to daylight savings time, we’ve had light at supper for weeks although it didn’t seem like spring yet. We had 89 centimetres of snow (35 inches) the week before we ’sprang forward”. The first weeks after the switch have tricked us into a false sense of having time to spare after supper and before bedtime. The stress we let go of with the end of skating lessons – 4 activities is just too many – has been replaced with this trickster.

The weather was mild enough Sunday that I let Reid wear her new pink rain boots and splash pants rather than her snow pants and snow boots. Reid’s legs and feet were so light with this change that her feet seemed to leap and dance without any conscious thought. She scampered and hopped. She skipped and danced. She did everything but click her heels together in mid-air. Reid reveled in the spring day.

There is the mud, too, of course with its darkness in stark contrast to the pure white of the snow that we have grown so accustomed, too. Much of the snow that remains is black, heavy and hard. The dirt and exhaust of many cars is trapped in what remains and grows more noticeable as the snow melts. I’ve not had the occasion to notice yet this year the smell of droppings from people out with their pets who disregarded the “poop and scoop” rules. Those days will come and we’ll need to tough them out before smelling the rich, fertile smell of newly turned ground.

The mud and its friends, the puddles, are welcome in our household, most especially by the youngest member. Reid’s enthusiasm for puddles is infectious and I remember fondly fighting the mud for possession of my rain boots in the same way that Reid does. We both admired the smooth, shiny mud sticking to her pink boots at one point Sunday afternoon and then Reid went back to jumping. The slipperiness of mud snuck up on Reid - it’s been a long time since she played in the mud - and, all of a sudden, she was lying in the puddle. Oops! I guess the slipperiness of the mud snuck up on me, too.

The change of footwear and clothing also serves as a reminder to check the sizes of what Reid is wearing, especially daycare “spares” and her indoor shoes. I noticed skin peeling from one of her toes a couple weeks ago and asked Reid about her shoes at daycare. She assured me that they were fine but I tried them on her and could feel her toes rubbing. I need to schedule this sort of review. I bet that the pants in her cubby are “floods” and the shirts midriff-bearing. There is quite a range in size 3/3T and I’ve been weeding her drawers as we go. Her cubby is another matter altogether.

We are savouring this change of season. I’m looking forward to a bit more snow, 30-40 centimetres (12-15 inches) would give us a record, but it needs to be the kind that melts quickly. Indeed, the final sign of spring in Ottawa was the snow greeted me on Monday morning, after the mild weekend. The season changes officially before the snow is ready to give up.

Check back later in the week and I’ll link to what others are saying about savouring the season.

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