Wherefore Art Thou, Oh Sun??

I need you!

I usually spend the latter part of winter feeling sorry for myself. Once I realized this I have been bound and determined not to be so wretchedly depressed but I haven't been that successful. (I do not count last year since I was still in my first trimester puking phase and would have been miserable even if it was sunny outside every second of every day)

This year I have really made an effort. If we were grading on a curve, I would give myself a B+. Not bad for a person that averages C's and D's this time of year. It helped that issues in my family came up and I was required to be the Strong One. Not that hardships suffered by others are necessarily a good thing, but it is hard to wallow in self pity when you are serving those around you. I realized how truly blessed I am and that helped combat the sadness and despair.

Now I am ready for spring. For the past month or so Mother Nature has given me a little taste of sun and warmth. Enough at least to make me falsely believe that springtime has arrived.

Last weekend my mom was here visiting. We took her to a park downtown so we could show her how beautiful it was. I forgot that the trees were still bare and the grass is brown and crunchy. She wasn't nearly as impressed as I had wanted her to be. We bundled up the kids and let A run around the playground until the snot from his nose started freezing on his upper lip. He tried to have fun, even participated (sort of) in some friendly small talk but it was just too cold to be out there for longer than a few minutes.













I am not the only one that is confused. My daffodils are coming up. At any moment the tree in my front yard will have blossoms popping right before my eyes. But it is still cold, cold, cold and for the past week the sun has yet to shine.

I keep telling Greg that this is my year. This is the year where we will have a nice yard. Flowers will be planted. I will grow tomatoes again but this year they won't die a slow, painful death. We will plant new trees. One to replace our dead red maple that didn't get enough water, and another to replace what I refer to as The Weed. (A ugly, treelike plant in our backyard that should have been taken out THREE years ago but was not. Pictured at left) I will mulch, dig, water, fertilize. I will love my pumpkin plants enough to cover them so they will not snap if it gets too windy. Yes my friends, this is my year.

All I'm asking for is a little help from Mother Nature. Please, let me get started. Let it be warm enough for A to run around in our recently-fenced backyard so that the neighbors can enjoy his decibel level. Certainly they've missed it since last fall. Please Mother Nature, let me prove to you that I can grow something besides weeds. Pretty please! I'm begging you.

While I'm waiting, if anyone has any gardening tips that go beyond "don't let your plants die" I'd appreciate it.