March Madness

I’d like to say spring is in the air here in Buffalo, but as I write this I’m looking out over freshly fallen snow. Have no fear, however, because the forecast is calling for a high of 62℉ by the end of the week! Yes, this my friends is what the beginning of spring looks like around these parts: a repeating cycle of fresh snow followed by a thaw, then more snow–such a cruel tease no? Regardless of spring’s beginning fits and starts, it’s one of my favorite times of year. Spring is the mark of a fresh start, a season of new beginnings.

While many people may see January as their kickoff to a new year and a healthy start, I look to March to spring me into healthy habits, thanks to the increasing temps and more time outside. For those of you who join us Buffalonians in taking on the brutal winter months in the Northeast, getting to spring is a mark of glorious achievement. As you start moving all the arduous winter layers of clothing to storage bins, you can’t help but to think to yourself: “I made it.” Yes, the winters can be that taxing! But then, after you’ve done your little springtime happy dance, the reality of what’s to come next hits you smack in the face. It’s time to assess the winter damage.

After months of staying inside most days and only seeing your lawn as a sea of white snow, the spring sunshine slowly reveals bits and pieces of what used to be your blooming yard. And so you creep outside to assess. How do things look in the garden? Are the trees okay? Have rodents destroyed the lawn? Did the snowplow take up the grass along with the snow? Then, after you’ve retrieved the grill cover from your neighbor’s yard, you roll up your sleeves and go to work getting things back into tip-top shape. I’m really excited to get the veggie garden going with beets, peas, radishes and chard—I’m determined to make this year the year I plan things out and don’t plant haphazardly!

Alongside the work of getting your outdoor space pulled back together are the many benefits that come with being able to get outside again. Not that we never leave our homes, but I’m talking about the kind of being outside that doesn’t have you wishing every second that you were back indoors. For one, it’s so nice to actually get to talk to our neighbors again, like really sit and have a casual driveway chat. For months, all we’ve seen of each other are some cold faces accompanied by hurried waves and quick retreats back into our homes before we freeze in place. Then there’s the outdoor activity that comes back into action, like running outside…okay, or running at all; I try, but the treadmill is just not my thing.

Call it spring fever, perhaps, but I’m antsy for those warmer temps to show up and finally stay. Just keep going, because we are oh so close. Wishing you all a fresh, productive and bountiful spring!