Spring Has Sprung

It's a partly cloudy Friday the 13th edition of Views today. It was 44 degrees at the outpost and is currently 40 degrees in Streeterville. This is unquestionably better than the previous two days when winter decided to let us know that it is not spring yet. This, in spite of the fact that I saw my first crocuses up and bloomed earlier this week. It's not the Ides of March yet. The river hasn't been dyed green yet. Still, looking outside at the lake just now one could believe that spring is imminent.

Of course this begs the question, "What is spring anyway?" I know that the Vernal Equinox is coming up on March 21. That's just a little over a week away. Then the hours of sunlight will overtake the hours of darkness, and the warmth will slowly crank itself up to a reasonably toasty temp. Right now it's just the longer days and a few assorted crocuses popping up, though. It's still cold out.

When I go to meet people for my group run on Saturday mornings, it's undeniably winter just yet. People are still dressed in long running gear, long-sleeved tops, and with hats and gloves. Two weeks ago, it took me 10 minutes of running to be able to feel my fingers. This was definitely not spring.

To tell you the truth, spring in Chicago has never come very early, at least not close to the lake. In my memory, it usually stays in the 50's because of the cold water temperatures, and then suddenly one day we wake up and Mother Nature has flipped the switch to 80+. This happens in early June. Winter straight to summer. No in between.

Is spring just the lengthening of the days, and a slow rising of our spirits. Is it crocuses and tulips coming up because at least it's gotten warm enough to melt the snow. Is it an artificial designation that we reach after the big binge that is St. Patrick's Day? Is it spring because the schools have had a week off to recuperate and ready themselves for the final push until June?

I suppose it's possible that my perceptions of spring are unrealistic, biased by a Southern upbringing where it was 75 degrees in early spring, 80 degrees in late spring, before giving way to full-blown heat of summer. Then again, there were the Minneapolis years where it always snowed one really big wet last snow in April and where people put on shorts and t-shirts if it got above 50 degrees. That was spring for them, warm enough to melt the snow, and no mosquitos yet.

Considering all of that, it appears then that spring is just a state of mind. Spring is as different from location to location as is the difference between dusk and dark, German and Dutch, English and American, white and dark chocolate.....you get it, gradations. One thing I find is universal, though. No matter where you are and what springtime means locally, everyone gets tired of winter. Everyone starts looking forward to more moderate temperatures and longer days, to those late afternoons where you can sit outside and enjoy the yellowish slanting sunlight.

With all of that in mind, and recognizing that spring, more than a designation on a calendar, is a state of mind, I hereby declare it Spring 2009. The doggone crocuses have come up. It was in the 40's this afternoon, not the 20's. It's after 5 PM and the sun is still shining. It's a wonderful Friday afternoon, and there is no more ice on the lake. I spotted the first dinner cruise ship of Spring the other night. Robins be damned. What do birds know? That's why they call them bird brains. Happy Spring to you. Just be sure to wear a coat for a while yet. It's March, not June.