Spring

Time to Spring Forward

March 8, 2023 by Nancy 10 Comments

Twice a year the discussion comes up about Daylight Saving Time and whether it’s time to do away with it. However, as of now it’s still in effect so most of us spring forward as requested. Sunday, March 12, is the designated day this year.

Newspapers, TV reporters and church bulletins all remind us to “spring forward” and set our clocks an hour ahead as we go into Daylight Saving Time, but you may wonder why we go to the trouble. If setting clocks, sleep disruptions or forgetting the change altogether and showing up at church an hour late seem like unnecessary irritations, consider these little known facts.

First proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, Daylight Saving Time (the officially correct name, not Savings) is adopted in all states except Hawaii, parts of Indiana, and Arizona (except for the Navajo Indian Reservation, which does observe DST). Over the years studies have proven that we save thousands of barrels of oil per day during DST due to decreased use of electricity. More evening daylight also decreases traffic accidents and exposure to the types of crime usually committed after dark.

So although the counter arguments and debates continue, we have to admit there may be some real benefits besides those lazy, summer outdoor evenings we all look forward to enjoying.

Still, if Daylight Saving Time annoys you, think of other ways you might spring forward that you actually enjoy!

Maybe this year you’d like to spring forward down the sidewalk as you take up a new exercise routine. Once around the block is a good start, and by the end of summer you may find out you enjoy walking so much you’re going several miles.

Spring forward into a new hobby. Preferably one you’ve been thinking about for a long time but never made it a priority. Good advice with any new venture is to dip your toe in the water before diving in. Is your new hobby watercolor painting? Take a class at a local community center before investing in a lifetime supply of paints and canvases. You can always invest later once you know you love it.

Getting a start on gardening will help you spring forward toward summer. Even in colder climates seeds or bulbs can be started in windowsill containers and as the tiny shoots begin to grow our hopes for the warmer season to come grow with them. However you spring forward this year, don’t dismay about that lost hour. We get it back in the fall.

First published in The Country Register, March-April 2023.

The Flower Fields

May 9, 2022 by Nancy 9 Comments

One can grow very weary waiting for spring to bloom in Colorado, so imagine my delight when we visited The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California, during peak season. We went to California the end of April to meet up with friends and celebrate my husband Jim’s 75^th birthday, but strolling through fields of flowers while there was certainly a highlight.

The 50 acres at Carlsbad Ranch are dedicated to growing 13 colors of Ranunculus flowers (in the buttercup family) both to sell and for the production of bulbs. According to the website, “The fields today are a direct result of nearly 85 years of floral cultivation that began with Luther Gage, an early settler and horticulturist that settled in the area in the early 1920’s. Mr. Gage brought Ranunculus seeds to the area and began growing them in his fields next to Frank Frazee’s small vegetable farm in South Oceanside. In 1933 Frank Frazee also started growing Ranunculus and introduced his son Edwin to the art of seeding, cultivating and irrigating the pretty but not yet popular flower.”

What today’s visitors see from March through mid-May is a legacy of beauty for sure. In addition to the Ranunculus fields, specialty and artistic gardens with a variety of flowers grace the property. A desirable event venue for weddings and other events, the property also includes a pavilion, a demonstration garden, a sweet pea maze, and fun activities for kids on school field trips. We got to listen in as a performer delighted a group of kindergartners with his catchy song, “Dirt Made My Lunch.” Such a fun way to learn about agriculture!

Of course there’s also an extensive garden center on the property and an irresistible gift shop. I guess hope truly does spring eternal, because I bought a package of Ranunculus bulbs to try in my backyard garden. The master gardener there assured me they would do just fine in Colorado. Mmmhmm.

Whether my bulbs bloom, I’m sure to be California dreamin’ about The Flower Fields for some time. So glad I can say, “Been there. Got the T-shirt!”

Walk It Out!

April 11, 2021 by Nancy 12 Comments

Anxiety? Frustration? Cabin fever? Spring is here and it’s time to walk it out! Excuses for not taking a walk are easy to come by. It’s too cold. It’s too windy. It might rain. I walked yesterday…or one day last week. Yet the benefits of actually tying up those walking shoes and hitting the trail, the sidewalk, or even the track at a school near you, should be enough to overcome the excuses.

According to health experts the benefits of walking even 20-30 minutes a day include: heart health, weight loss, increased respiratory function, increased immunity, a chance for safe socialization outside, and plain old happiness. You feel better physically and emotionally when you have a walking routine (which is easier to stick to if you have a walking buddy). Besides, you don’t need lessons to learn how to walk for exercise, and you can do it almost anywhere.

Dog owners without fenced yards are encouraged by their canines to take walks a couple of times a day at least. Who can resist those big eyes imploring you to come explore the great outdoors with a best friend?

Once my husband and I were visiting my stepdaughter and her husband. The young couple never cooked at home so my husband was trying to explain how easy it is to throw a variety of ingredients into a wok for a quick and easy meal. Every time he said the word wok, however, their dog would appear in front of him with his leash in his mouth. We soon realized that he thought Jim was saying “walk” not “wok”! Hard to resist for sure.

Physical ailments can impair our ability to walk, of course, which is why I never take a pain-free walk for granted. I once had a heel issue for about two years and couldn’t walk—but gratefully found out I enjoyed swimming laps instead. Toe pain, plantar fasciitis, creaky knees, hips or ankles can all take the joy out of a nice walk, but wanting to get back to walking provides the motivation to work on alleviating the ailments as soon as possible. Start where you are and step out as much as you can.

In fact, whatever it is that’s bugging you this spring, go walk it out. It doesn’t matter how far you go or how fast you walk. Need some spiritual guidance? Turn your walk into a prayer walk. Struggling with a problem or relationship? The fresh air alone can clear the cobwebs and give you a clearer perspective by the time you return home.

As I was writing this blog post my husband stuck his head into my office and said, “I’m going for a walk, want to come?” My response was, “Sorry, I have to finish this post on the benefits of walking.” Hmmm… someone needs to follow her own advice. Now that I’m done, I think I’ll go for a walk.

A Sonoran Spring

May 23, 2019 by Nancy 15 Comments

Living in Colorado Springs, a place that just got 8-12” of snow on May 20, I often fantasize about spring. Usually my fantasy is of the rolling green hills of East Tennessee, the azaleas, dogwoods, tulips and irises. But this spring found us in Tucson, AZ, for a granddaughter’s graduation, a Mother’s Day celebration, and a daughter’s 50th birthday party all on one weekend. There I discovered a different kind of spring that I can fantasize about in years to come—a Sonoran desert spring!

On this busy weekend away my husband Jim and I were surprised to discover that we had three hours to ourselves between celebrations. A friend told me about Tohono Chul botanic gardens in north Tucson, so we hopped in our rental car and off we went. I was charmed the minute we got out of the car and I heard the endearing sound of hummingbirds in flight. And why not? Later I learned they have their own garden at Tohono Chul, which translated means “desert corner.”

As with most preserves, this 49-acre oasis in the middle of Tucson’s urban sprawl began in the hearts of people recognizing its beauty and wanting to make it available to generations to come. University of Arizona geologist Richard Wilson and his wife Jean began purchasing property in the area in the late 1960s. According to the brochure, their home at the time was a hacienda-style building which now houses the Tohono Chul Garden Bistro—an inviting spot where I hope to lunch another day.

“At first, we just went out and put down some lime to make a path and marked the names of some plants and bushes, but then it started to snowball,” the Wilsons said. “Snowball” may be an odd choice of words to describe the progress of a desert garden, but grow it did and Tohono Chul Park was formally dedicated on April 19, 1985.

The trails that wind through Tohono Chul are full of enchanting discoveries from the stately saguaro cacti to the smallest desert wildflowers. One unexpected turn of events was that I had sprained my ankle on a walk the day before, so the kind volunteers at the garden offered us a wheelchair. Not only did I quickly grow more empathetic toward friends and relatives I love who must spend their lives in wheelchairs, I realized Jim and I have a lot to learn about navigating with one.

We entertained other visitors with my cries of, “Wait! Back up!” or “No, I want to go this way!” A patient husband is a wonderful gift indeed, but I suspect there was some eye-rolling I didn’t see that elicited the smiles of passersby! My hobbled status gave me a unique perspective on this new kind of spring, however. When I realized how blessed I was to have a husband who made sure I got to see the gardens I wanted to see—and that I never would have noticed that a lizard friend was shedding his skin had I not been closer to his level—the verse from 1 Thessalonians 5:18 came to mind: Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Thankful for family celebrations. Thankful for a caring husband. Thankful my injury was only temporary. Thankful for the walking stick I purchased in the gift shop—made of real Colorado aspen! Thankful for the warm memory of a Sonoran desert spring as I watched the snow fall back home.

(For more information on Tohono Chul, look here.)

A Burst of Springtime!

March 14, 2019 by Nancy 14 Comments

As we dig out from a blizzard here in Colorado I’m longing for the early signs of Spring I remember as a child. Each year in late February or early March my dad would come into the kitchen of our Tennessee home carrying long branches he had cut off the forsythia bush in our side yard. To my sisters and me the branches looked just as lifeless as all the others on the trees and bushes outside, but Dad placed them in a vase of warm water on the windowsill.

The next day, we would marvel at the tiny buds beginning to appear. Within three days the branches would be alive with radiant yellow flowers! Although it might still be gray and gloomy outside, we had a burst of sunshine in our kitchen window, and a promise that Spring was on the way.

How can we bring that kind of springtime into the hearts and lives of people we know? We can do it literally, by forcing bulbs and delivering a basket of blooming tulips or hyacinths to a friend having a long winter of the soul. Or by planning a visit to a botanic garden where she can breathe in the sights and smells of a green spring long before it’s in full bloom in her neighborhood.

We can also bring springtime feelings into the souls of others, especially older adults, by helping them remember times in their childhood that were carefree and happy, or by listening patiently as they share fond memories of loved ones lost and days gone by.

Or maybe it’s the more permanent message of springtime renewal that we hope to deliver, one that will have long-lasting, even eternal effects. Martin Luther wrote, “Our Lord has written the promise of the Resurrection not in books alone, but in every leaf of springtime.”

Let the crocuses pushing their way through the late snows, followed by the tulips standing tall and the trees covered in bright green leaves, be the signs we need to remind us that Easter is coming! Easter, the day where believers everywhere celebrate the truth of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

So if, like the yellow forsythia, you deliver a burst of springtime to someone this year, consider adding a message of eternal hope. Remind them that Easter is coming! It could be just the encouragement they need.

Kites Keep Us Looking Up!

March 31, 2017 by Nancy 9 Comments

This time of year they begin popping up just everywhere. One in a field next to the grocery store. One in a school yard. What are they? The first purple and yellow crocuses? No, the first thing to pop up and announce that spring is really here is the high-flying, fantasy-making kite.

Is there any activity that lifts our spirits like successfully flying a kite? When the trees and power lines are avoided and the wind is just right, even the novice can soar to success. Feeling the tug of the string and looking up as the kite battles the breeze like a bird flying into the wind lifts us above ourselves, above our daily responsibilities and worries.

No wonder kite flying is an international sport with associations and conventions to rival those of physicians, attorneys or engineers. For just $40 a year, serious kiters can join the American Kitefliers Association (aka: AKA) and receive regular newsletters, a magazine, instructional tips, and discounts on kites of every imaginable size and construction. Competitive Kite Festivals and Fun Flys are held all over the world, and you can keep up with these events on the organization’s website, www.kite.org.

Tradition tells us kites were discovered in China when the wind blew a hat off a farmer’s head. The hat was tethered to the ground by a string and so lofted into the air without blowing away. Kites were unknown in Europe for centuries until Marco Polo brought them back from his travels to the East. Then Europeans and later Americans used kites for all kinds of scientific and military purposes.

There are many famous kitefliers. Benjamin Franklin used kites to prove the existence of electricity in the air and then invented the lightning rod. The most well-known fictitious kiteflier is Charlie Brown of Peanuts. Who can forget his kite-eating tree?

One of the most celebrated kitefliers in Colorado was the late Frances Weaver. The famous author began her writing career by selling an article on flying kites to Vogue magazine after she founded the Beulah Valley Association for Tethered Flight. She even put “kitewriter” on her business cards.

Describing her love affair with kites in her book Midlife Musings, Frances said, “There’s magic in a kite. There is also joy, serenity, challenge and frustration. (That describes most love affairs when you think about it).”

I once found a pink Barbie kite in our garage that was left over from a visit by two small granddaughters. Seeing it brought back happy kite-flying memories! I’m not sure what brought the loudest giggles of delight from them. Seeing the kite in the air, or watching Grancy and Papa running through the field trying to get it aloft!

Our house overlooks a large park and often we see kites of all shapes and construction dipping and climbing in the sun. April is National Kite Month. Maybe this year I’ll pick up a kite again and join those watching their colorful kites dancing against the blue Colorado sky. Happy spring!