Giant Cat Lady Action Figure Attacks Doll House!

A little Madness in the Spring
Is wholesome even for the King.
- Emily Dickinson, No. 1333

I remember running three-legged races with Grandma, at my cousins’ house in the country, balancing eggs in teaspoons. I remember how Grandma wasn’t very good at it, and my twelve-year-old speed and balance kicked ass. These days, I can barely carry a full cup of coffee across the room without spilling some. I recently did the math, and realize that I’m older now than Grandma was when we last teamed up to race.

In recent years, my cover story about slowing down was that I’ve been stopping to smell the flowers. It was a good excuse for a while, but eventually, I’ve had to admit I’ve slowed down because I’m growing older.

As gardeners, we learn the seasons and the promise of renewal after winter’s slumber. The smell of the rich but not-quite-ready living compost reminds us that nothing is lost, and that everything comes back. But the fact is, that all these garden metaphors are yet another cover story for playing in the dirt. Gardens patiently remind us we don’t have to outgrow what we love, no matter how much we may slow down.

Spring arrives this month, and if you are impatient for Spring, here’s some good news, This year, we spring ahead earlier into Daylight Savings Time, changing our clocks on March 11, instead of waiting until the last Sunday of March. This means that we lose and hour BEFORE the equinox marking the first day of Spring (around March 20), instead of AFTER winter ends.

And this means that Spring will arrive an hour earlier this year than it did last year. Madness indeed.