Unlike the Midwest and East Coast, the Puget Sound, where I live, has had mild weather (and not even a whole lot of rain in recent weeks). The temps have been in the 50s, with sunshine coming through (and we’ve been very confused about it!). So yeah, it’s been in the mid-50s, the sun’s out … and what am I doing? I’ve been yearning for spring. Yes, I’m looking forward to mid-50s and … rain. That’s what spring is here in the Seattle area: pretty much what we’re having right now, plus rain.

Why is this? Why can’t I enjoy the weather we’re having NOW? Because it’s the wrong season! In February, we should be having chills and even icy rain! Seriously, when we have nice weather (dry, that is) around here during the winter, when we look at the surrounding mountains and we don’t see the peaks gleaming white, it’s bad news, because that could mean we’ll be facing a water shortage come summer.

So my desire to have spring come has a rational, logical basis. Or so I tell myself.

To tell you the truth, while a water shortage during the summer is something to worry about, I’m looking forward to spring because of a typically springy thing: flowers. I’m not a big garden person, mainly because I start sneezing, but I found myself looking forward to the golden profusion of daffodils that we get around here toward the end of March (but if the weather doesn’t cooperate, we may have it much earlier than that!).

So no matter how your weather’s been, whether the groundhog saw his shadow (I hear he did) In Pennsylvania, whether you had to slog through ice and snow and freezing temps, I think it’s unanimous: WE WANT SPRING!

Eilis Flynn
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