It's Spring!

Spring.

It's when the flowers bloom, the birds sing, and life renews itself. These days, I watch the birds through my window and look at flowers in our indoor garden. When the weather is warm, I venture out on the porch. With the sunshine on my face and the tantalizing smell of lilacs filling my senses, I reminisce about times long past.

As a boy growing up on a farm, Spring meant a lot of things. It meant that nature was renewing; the trees were blossoming, and it was time to plow the fields and ready them for a new season of crops. It was time to spray for weeds; time to plant, and time for animals around the farm to give birth.

Inside our house, my mother was also busy. Spring meant spring cleaning. Her first order of business every year was to turn off the heat and put the screens in the windows. She always said her favorite part of spring was throwing the windows wide open and letting in the breeze. Once that was accomplished, she would clean the house from top to bottom, giving everything a good scrubbing. She would sing as she worked; the spring air blowing through the house and the smell of flowers always kept her in high spirits. She had a garden full of a colorful array of daffodils, roses, pansies, gardenias, amarillas, and petunias. Every morning she would bring in fresh flowers from her garden to place around the house.

Spring also meant that school would soon be out, brining the anticipation of summer just around the bend. I would get anxious for those last few weeks of school to fly by, looking forward to my long summers. Sure, there were a lot of chores and hard work on the farm, but if a boy planned right he could be up early and have all his chores done quickly to have the rest of the day to himself.

I remember those days. I can remember the smell of dirt as it was plowed, the fel of sweat on my brow that came with a hard day of farm work; the ache of my muscles. I can still envision my mother's beautiful smile at the open window, her joy at hanging wash out in the fresh air to collect the smells of spring. I can still remember how it felt to be so young; so full of innocence and wonder. It is the awe of every spring when life starts over.

Now, I watch the trees and lawns grown greener every day from my window. I see the daffodils, petunias, pansies, and roses growing rampant in our gardens. I am reminded of my mother, of my youth - and I am happy with just the feel of warm sunshine on my upturned face.