I love it when unexpected natural occurances happen.
Spring is one on my favorite seasons - I yearn for the approach of ‘daffodil days’ as soon as winter begins its frosty retreat. In my neighborhood, daffodils push-out early in the spring, displaying their cheerful demeanor while they stand resolute against the frost-nipped nights and the blustery, changeling days. Large yellow trumpet, baby-moon miniature, flat-cup and white-on-white, they group together in friendly clusters, giggling in the wind like schoolgirls with a wicked secret. And they always bring a smile to my face.
So, imagine my surprise last week when Bob returned from our local market with several bunches of asparagus during daffodil days. This of course could not be local asparagus – that was at least 3 weeks away at best.
‘What ? This never happens’ I cried ! ‘I have no memory of ever eating asparagus while admiring my pastel troops waving to me from my kitchen window. Shame on you”‘ I blustered, ‘You bought ASPARAGUS IMPORTED FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE….how could you ? ‘ I admonished.
‘Now just hold on a minute’, he said. “This is our local Pioneer Valley asparagus- it’s just out very early this year. Remember what they said last winter ? Because the snow fell so early ( and fell and fell and fell all winter long ) the ground never froze as solidly as it does in most years. You know, it’s the same reason why the moles are making swiss-cheese out of our lawn. Things are just growing earlier and faster because it stayed warmer underground.’
‘Oh, of course,’ I said apologetically, feeling a tad remorseful that I had jumped to such a conclusion. Looking for something to say I offered: ‘But the moles don’t really bother me and why should our lawn look any different from that of our neighbors’ ?
As Bob stood there giving me ’the look’ I suddenly realized the greatness of this news. For the first time I that I can recall, we have a glorious spring that is bringing us daffodil days and asparagus days at the same time.
Now, I wonder if next year we could manage to produce just a few local strawberries at the same time……….
At last, the first signs of sweet spring are unfolding in New England The long awaited and tell-tales signs of winter’s anticipated retreat are in place – the vast piles of snow are disappearing, cheery little robins are busy bustling about for worms on just-exposed, bare patches on lawn, and we no longer feel the urge to ‘hunker and settle’ but yearn instead to venture outdoors, raise our faces to the sun and breathe.
