Sunday, February 22, 2009

When Does Spring Begin?

OK I have a question..When do you declare that SPRING is officially here? When is Spring.. SPRUNG? When do you officially throw in your snow-boots and shovels for crocs and lawn chairs? When do you say Arrivederci, Auf Wiedersehen, Au revoir to winter, hello spring, you beautiful thing .. so long winter, see you soon enough you old cold bugger .. ?

Is the first day of Spring on the calendar, your day..well just because the Sun starts to move north again doesn't mean a hill of beans here in Minnesota. The calendar lies. We can't plant a garden safely here in Minnesota until Memorial Day weekend. Should that be the new Spring?

Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba' ............White Bleeding Hearts

I say good bye Winter when I see my first Robin.. I am usually the last person to see one. My sister in law always sees them before me, I never get to call her and say "I saw a Robin..before you.. HA!" She is always first, sometimes I don't even begin to look until after her annual phone call. Just one time I would like to be FIRST, I swear she sits on her deck with her binoculars in one hand and her phone in the other ready to call me with the first Robin news. I guess it is okay, she is younger than me and I need more naps, but we live in the same woods..she must be baiting those Robins:)

13 comments:

  1. I think over here its when you see the 1st swallow flying. Not sure what one looks like however !

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  2. Sophie's muddy paw prints across my kitchen floor are my first signs of spring! :)

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  3. She must be baiting the robins and have you on speed dial! My nephew lives in MN after spending his entire life in GA, so I know all about your Spring! He hates to call us and get weather reports from GA! Hang in there.

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  4. Last year I was watering the nursery stock at the end of March, and it was snowing, on me. What gives?
    Was that spring?

    What about when you see the first Dandilion blooming? That is usually when I figure it is time.

    Loved todays post. Super funny about all the naps.

    Jen

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  5. We've had robins here for awhile now, but I wouldn't be calling it spring! When I see the yellow daffodillies...then I shall declare spring as being sprung. Or perhaps when the first lamb arrives?

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  6. When I can stick the shovel into the ground with ease, that's spring to me.
    My sister and I always try to show each other up when it comes to hummingbirds and orioles. She always sees the first hummer, but most of the time I see the first oriole:)

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  7. When the first calf hits the ground is when I think of it being spring AND the new year. Even if the calendar doesn't agree is a turning point for us at that time. I'd love to be able to grown any kind of bleeding heart, they don't like my soil here for some reason.

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  8. Daffodils are sort of the precursor to spring here, but more years than not it's cold for several more weeks after they bloom.

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  9. This will be my first spring in Kansas, but I know what you mean about up north.... I ALWAYS waited til mid-May to plant annuals, or else I was usually sorry! It will be fun to plant much earlier here, my brain is already whirring with ideas for my new flower garden(s)! :)

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  10. MMm.. we're covered in snow and ice... so when all that disappears and we actually have temperatures OVER 0C for a few days, and a sun that has a little warmth in it - then it's spring. Til then, it's snow boots, crampons and loads of clothes on!

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  11. Happy Paczki Day! And no they are not cream filled. Usually fruit flavored like apple, blueberry, cherry, prune. Some make custard but not traditional. I never heard of them until we moved to Michigan even though South Bend is close to where I grew up and they have a Polish Community there and celebrate Paczki Day.

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