Splendid Spring

This season of spring is one to truly enjoy.
It is the time of year when the days start to gain on the nights
 and projects and activities take on a fresh new meaning.
  

March seems to be the traditional time 

to dig into "Spring Cleaning."

As a child I remember Grandma hanging large rugs out on the clothes line and handing me, a small child, a "whip" which had a oblong circled wire attached to a long handle and said, "Okay, Emma Lu, go to it and whip the dirt out of those rugs."  I thought it was a great sport as I hit the rugs and watched the dust fly out into the crisp, early morning, spring air. 

My mother would purge our home by cleaning, cleaning, cleaning as if she were a whirlwind cleansing the universe.  She enjoyed digging in, scrubbing, rearranging, organizing, and filling the garbage cans, which raised my father's eye brows, but he knew better than to question the discarded bottles, trinkets, bundles, and other items.  It was also a time to take curtains off the window casings and give them a good cleaning and never hang them back in place until the windows received their treatment of pink paste, which caused the eye to see the windows sparkle in the brilliant sunlight. Oh, yes, I almost forgot the living room wall paper.  It had to be cleaned with long smooth strokes using a pink putty cleaning bar, which looked like Play Doh, and had a refreshing scent all its own,  The magical bar removed soot from the long winter's furnace grime.  For my mother, spring cleaning was never finished until a room or two had received a fresh coat of Sherwin William's classic paint.  Ah, for the sweet, tidy memories of the past.

I hate to admit to the fact I am not one to "dig in" as my elders did.  Spring cleaning to me is a joy that happens in small doses. I appreciate the modern methods and new marvelous cleaning aids, as Mary Poppins would say, "Helps the medicine go down."  However, I do enjoy scrubbing and polishing here and there; when needed.  I have on my spring cleaning list two jobs. One: Cleaning and rearranging the spice cabinet. Two: Working over the entrance hall with muscle and meticulous care.  As for the rest of the house...well, we'll just have to see what happens next. However, it is good to remind ourselves that cleaning and clearing out can actually be very therapeutic.

 *****

Spring is a time to enjoy the refreshing outdoors. The sights and aroma of the new beginning are medicine for the soul.  It's a time when our surrounding are filled with color. I admire the blossoms on trees with the gorgeous pink hues, the fragrance of the yellow hyacinth bushes, the white blooms budding out on artistic trees to remind us of the Primary song "Popcorn Popping" and of course the Tulips, Bluebells, and Phlox all bringing their beauty to the new joyful season.

I am in the process of sewing a wall hanging showing the sights and colors of spring.

It is not finished, but I am working diligently toward the time I can hang

 it outside on our covered front porch.

*****

Walking is a invigorating sport to be enjoyed all year; however, 

it has its own flavor in the spring. It is a time when Mother Nature 

calls for her sleepy world to wake up and begin a new cycle of life. 

This morning while walking outside I enjoyed the feel of the gentle, cool breeze passing through my hair and hearing the delightful sound of the neighborhood woodpecker. His steady beat of 
rat-ta-tat-tat brought a broad smile to my lips. He is most persistent in his work.  Mokie, the neighbors large, brown lab came to greet me with his deep, husky bark; oh, so glad for the  sturdy fence between us. After our exchange of a brief morning chat, Mokie bowed away and ran off to other adventures. I enjoyed seeing the small, newly developing green buds on branches and of course in the rich, dark dirt there appeared weeds, the second class flowers, poking their heads up in an unfashionable mode. I listened to the delightful chirping of birds in our many trees and wrote a Haiku poem for them.

Song of happy bird

 Cordially calls to comrades,

"Come, rest on tree branch."

When I finished the delightful walk, my grateful heart was filled with thanksgiving to our creator for His love and our wondrous surroundings.

*****

As for the shoes to do my walking in, I found a brand called Skechers "Go Walk" with a memory form fit.  They are light weight, comfortable and as you can see have a multi-cushioned sole that makes walking feel as if you are maneuvering on a soft, fluffy cloud.

These shoes are the best, and I do recommend them if you are serious about being comfortable.

*****

My dear reading friend, until another time when we are together,

 may your surroundings of a splendid spring delight you and angels deliver 

tender mercies to your life.