I even wanted to go out in my flower garden, but I was warned it was too cold for me to even think about it. It is funny how much energy that little robin seemed to give to me on Saturday. Until that robin viewing, I was not feeling all that great.
I don’t know about you, but spring time is my happiest time of the year. Everything seems to get a rebirth and everything seems to smell fresher, cleaner and newer. I think that is why women get such an urge to do their heavy housecleaning this time of the year.
I remember my mom used to clean the windows inside and out as soon as it got warm enough. She used to open all the windows up to do what she called airing the house out. Curtains were brought down and washed and hung on the line to dry. There was no fresher smell than clothes hung out in the springtime and brought in off the clothesline. You just can’t bottle that smell. Then came the ironing and starching and putting the curtains back up on clean windows. Usually, new curtains were bought for at least two rooms and the others moved to a different room or discarded from overuse.
I still remember how happy she would be when all her spring cleaning was done. At our house, it meant taking down the coal stove that was our main source of heat and, if spring fever hit my mom a little early, it could mean a day or two of being chilly in the early mornings.
However, before she would let it get too bad she would turn on the oven to take the chill off.
As soon as that coal stove was taken down we usually got some new linoleum rugs for the floors and the wood floor that stuck out from where the linoleum didn’t cover always got a new coat of paint on it. In the kitchen, after the new curtains and rugs were purchased, a new dinette set sometimes would be purchased, based on the age and wear and tear of the old one.
There are a few other things that seem to go along with the smell of spring that I no longer see or smell, and that is the smell of tobacco beds burning or the smell of barns being cleaned out and the contents spread on fields for fertilizer. Those were two springtime happenings that have stayed in my mind, also.
Another smell I remember and enjoyed was the smell of the first plowing and the smell of the earth when it was first turned up. Even the earth smells better at this time of year than it does at any other time to me.
One thing I still enjoy is watching my husband roto-tilling the garden and planting the lettuce bed and onions. I have taken a picture of him every year doing this particular job. I can get excited thinking about all that we will enjoy from that garden and it still reminds me of growing up. I can never remember a year I have not had a garden. Our garden is not large, but it is surely enjoyed. It won’t be long now before those onions will be planted and the daffodils will be in bloom, along with the tulips. That is enough to put another smile on my face.
My next article will be a cancer update, and my third round of chemotherapy that I took on Feb. 25.
As I am writing this article, I have a big smile on my face because my church sent me a manila envelope full of encouragement and get well wishes, letting me know they were all praying for me.
The people at Grace Bible Church are a loving group of people. I had to laugh when my friend Cricket informed me that if I ever got frustrated enough to slap someone, she would send her husband Lee right over. Just the mention of Cricket and Lee can put a smile on my face any time because they are so special.
Thank God for red-breasted robins, good friends and family.
