According to the almanac, spring is just a couple of days away. I'll have to take the experts' word for this. At the moment it's 36˚F and drizzling; damp and chilly. Possible snow flurries are in the forecast for this evening and Wednesday. And daytime temperatures through the rest of the week are not expected to rise above the mid-30s˚F.
Not exactly the seasonal debut I'd prefer…though not at all out of character for Ohio. Spring's arrival hereabouts often doesn't find a landscape appearing noticeably different than it did in mid-February. In fact, we had sunnier, warmer, drier days the latter half of this year's February than we've had throughout the first half of March. Which, I repeat, isn't really surprising.
Spring seldom pops in looking like spring. A friend of mine used to say spring must be taken on faith. A dedicated countryman, he lived in Ohio all his four-score-plus years, and knew well the fickleness of Buckeye weather.
He also said dependable spring weather wouldn't arrive until "the frogs have looked through ice twice." Meaning there'd be at least two occasions after spring's official onset where temperatures dropped enough that ice formed on shallow ponds.
And along those same lines, he cautioned to not expect spring to "hold" until I'd seen snow on the forsythia blooms.
For at least thirty years, I've watched all three of his homespun proverbs come true more often than not. We usually do have a couple of below-freezing nights early-on where at least a thin skim of ice covers frog-holding bogs and backwaters. Time after time I've witnessed bright yellow forsythia blooms white-capped with snow. And there are lots of years when spring's outward appearance belies it's seasonal beginning…and to truly believe such a fact requires an act of faith.
My forsythia bush is nowhere close to blooming this week, so any snow on its bright flowers will have to come later. But nighttime low temps for the foreseeable future are expected to be in the mid-20s˚F, well below freezing—so any frog foolish enough to stir from his muddy chamber and glance upward will doubtless be forced to view the cold world beyond through a pane of ice.
Meanwhile…I'm hanging tough and keeping the faith. Isn't that spring a'comin?
8 comments:
watching the rain freeze right now...I forget what spring is!!
Samantha…
I don't so much forget what it is…I get to thinking it's simply not going to happen again! Which is where the faith part must kick in. And, I know—easier said than done when you're looking at freezing rain beyond the windowpane.
But hang in there. Spring's a'comin'!
Well...Between two to three feet of packed snow on the ground - minus 20C this morning (-4C right now) and another storm on the way.. OK Spring *might* be coming but it,s a few blocks away. (Grinning as I go look for my shovels). Oh, I should say I'm located about 100K north of Montreal. Yep, I'm hanging in there.
ATB!
Rusty…
Yep, I understand—you're up there where winter lingers near-forever on, while the other three seasons take about four months combined to zoom past…springsummerfall! Lovely country infested with lovely trout and—alas!—bloodthirsty black flies.
You got another good month to go before spring.
Hi Grizz - We clipped some forsythia and brought it inside and set the branches in a vase w/warm water. They have bloomed the brightest yellow. Spring!! My Mom always cut forsythia in February. We were late this year. sorry Mom!!
And tonight the snow will fall, covering us with about 3+ inches and then an icy drizzle tomorrow to coat the snow - a real slippery event. So long as the roads clear by Friday. We are headed to Brooklyn to celebrate my son's b'day - got us a nice hotel for the night and are going to do it up right i Brooklyn for my boy!! His b'day is the 21st. He is a wonderful young man. A real blessing, for sure.
Happy Spring Grizz and I love all the proverb and natural lingo you shared. Perfect.
Love Gail
peace.....
Gail…
Hey, I'm going to clip and force a few forsythia branches. Glad you mentioned that. No real snow for us, just flurries. Tomorrow supposed to be clear but still only 35˚F, and more flurries Wednesday.
Have a safe and fun trip to Brooklyn—and a great birthday celebration with your son. Nothing beats family.
Well I’ll have to say that I missed the snow. We did not get any this year. I saw a bit of snow in Nashville two weeks ago but it was very light. Yesterday it was 78 F here, although this heat brings tornadoes when the weather turns. It did just a while ago – sirens, thunder and all. Still all the trees are in bloom and I’d rather be here than in Ohio, no disrespect intended.
Vagabonde…
Hey, no disrespect taken. I'm getting tired of the cold and damp myself. And we each have our own tastes in weather/climate.
It seems to be shaping into a nice day here—that is bright, mixed sun and clouds, but cool (probably cold to a transplanted Georgia peach!) 27˚F last time I looked. Still, an okay day for March in Ohio. The river is back up some and muddy.
Your 78˚F sounds almost too warm for me—though I generally like the first few hot days we have, and am given to lazing around in the sun like a lizard on a rock. However, after that, nothing above 80˚F until autumn would be just perfect, and 70˚F might be even better. I'm just a boreal old bear. But I'd love to see all the blooms. There's nothing like spring in the South for flowering plants and their wonderful, heady perfume.
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