Spring Awakening

The day after I spent a sweaty hour chipping frozen snow off my sidewalk, I came upon four lily shoots stretching up from the ground.

That I had planted them moments earlier mattered not. They gave me hope.

If you want to find spring in Wisconsin, sometimes you have to buy it from Menards.

Am I right?

We Wisconsinites forged our deal with Mother Nature on a Midwestern handshake. Yes, you can snow in March. Send those fat, fluffy flakes our way. As long as they melt by sunset, let ‘er rip.

Is that not the deal?

So, when I saw the snow falling Sunday night, and still falling early Monday morning, I hardly blinked.

“I’ll shovel,” I cheerfully, cockily announced to the rest of my house’s inhabitants, who snuggled right back into their covers for a few extra minutes of sleep.

I may have whistled as I bundled up. Then I stepped outside and discovered an icy mound of impacted snow just daring me to move it. I traded in my plastic shovel for a metal variety from 1931 and winced as it scraped the icy cement. That didn’t sound right. Slowly, and with a great deal of sweat, my rusted old shovel and I cleared that pavement inches at a time.

“I thought we had a deal!” I said as I shook my sweaty fist toward the sky. “You’re supposed to melt when you land!”

That stubborn ton in the ditch just stared at me. Remnants remain at the base of my driveway because the plow went through like a big ole middle finger just as I headed inside.

I may have cursed as I peeled off my sweaty outerwear. Mea Maxima Culpa.

Then, our empty indoor planter caught my eye.

“I’ll get you, my pretty,” I thought as I planned my revenge,

Yesterday, I bought some nice fresh herbs, a few bulbs and some flowers. I planted them all — lavender, sage, oregano, mint and three types of basil.

The whole room started to smell like spring and I hardly noticed that stubborn pile of snow outside.

Someday soon, the last spring of the year will land in Wisconsin and the robins and I will rejoice.

Until then, a sweet little patch in my family room reminds me that light and love and lavender are on their way.