by Joyce Menyasz

Created on: May 01, 2008

The sunshine is scrambling my brain

We all know where I come from and what the weather is like in my motherland of California. I have been charmed to the gills with the magic of the snow and the total awesomeness that winter brings here in Lanark County. I've even survived a blinding snowstorm in my car.

And now, finally, it seems that the season is changing. There is enough of our yard showing to make my rake bang against the shed door at least once a day now, dying for some attention.

Don't worry, I'm ignoring it. There is even a hint of my ever faithful tulips poking through the thawed earth. The birds are singing, the cat is sleeping in the birdfeeder now, and the dog wants nothing more than to lay in the sunshine and beg for cookies outside my office window.

All signs of spring. Right? RIGHT?

Does anyone else feel that? The absolute certainty that any minute now, the trees will burst into bloom, and the green will sprout forth and wipe out all traces of that ridiculous winter we just experienced.

Any minute now, right? Sigh.

It's taking too long. One day of sunshine and blue skies with nary a snow cloud in sight is confusing me. It's the middle of April. The sunshine should have been kicking winter's bum right the heck to the other side of the hemisphere with a stiff warning that it's not welcome back.

I had a moment earlier this week when I strongly considered hanging up on my mother. She told me it was 81 in Clovis, California, and the poppies were out in magnificent coloured blooms.
I reminded her that when and if it reached 81 in our beautiful Lanark County, Clovis would be an overcooked expanse of earth wilting in the 110 degree heat. That made me feel much better, but I think I'm out of the will.

And then I looked at the blue sky again. The flip-flops in my closet started to do a tap-dance. My toes told them to stop immediately. My toes know that a warm sun after a cold winter completely scrambles my brain. I guess my brain reacts like the animals when coming out of hibernation.

I wonder if the bears and squirrels were as confused as I was when that sun came out and told them to wake up. I wonder how many of them could even dig their way out of the piles of snow that are still melting? Are the critter brains as scrambled as mine with this half-season stuff?

I think we're all ready for real spring. When the snow is a distant memory and not even close to a looming threat. When we can shove all the winter clothing to the back of the closet and tell the snow shovels and blowers to sit still and shut up for a few months.

It's time, isn't it? I'm not sure, because the goose bumps on my skin tell me it's still winter, and Peter yelling at me to close the windows tells me it's not quite spring yet.
Like I said, my brain is scrambled, and I blame the sunshine.

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