Dreams of Spring: Life in the North Country

Taken March 30th

Winter this far north can feel like survivalist living. I for one greet the first blades of green grass each spring with the same joy and disbelief that you could imagine a person lost at sea greets the shores of the first land they see. When spring finally does arrive you feel as though you truly did survive something life changing. The first days the light stays past 4 PM it is as though you are seeing the sun for the first time.
So in these days before spring officially makes it's arrival, I find myself dreaming of warmer days, and all that entails. One of the greatest things about life in the North Country is getting back to nature, digging in the dirt, being surrounded by all that is green. Since winter takes up half the year here, we often have to spend that time planning or dreaming about the warmer times, in order to make it through the dark and cold.
There is so much that spring will bring. My compost bin will come to life once more, though it may need a new stock of worms, with how cold it got this winter. My seedlings will soon begin to sprout in their little pots on my window sills. Spring will bring walks to the park, the scent of fresh manure and soil. It will bring green grass and the scent of lilacs in the breeze. Dandelions will peek their little yellow heads up, dotting the landscape in bright beauty. The Farmer's Market will be back in Ive's Park, with all it's fresh goodies. Geese and ducks will return to lay their eggs. The sun will shine and the air will be warm and fresh.
I suppose these are the reasons so many of us stay from year to year, no matter how cold the winter winds blow. Every spring we get the joy of seeing our world reborn. It is a luxury not afforded to many. I for one love living here, there are not many places left in this world like it. I know that in a few weeks you will find me with bare feet on soft new green grass, with dirty hands covered in compost and soil, a smear of dirt across my face most likely, as my little son and I plant baby seedlings in the ground. Then we will sit back and enjoy this chance to watch life grow as the days get longer and warmer and we once again forget how long and cold winter is, until next year when like children we huddle around fireplaces and dream our dreams of spring once again. This is the cycle of life in the North Country.