The weekend before last was our first taste of “Fools Spring”.
The temperature finally peaked above 40 degrees, so shed my heavy coat and gloves for a Saturday on the town with my sister and nephew. The sun was shinning, birds were singing, the roads were free from snow and slush- but it was all a lie. Fool’s Spring is so called because it is short lived. The weekend’s relief was followed by a 3-day snowstorm that dropped over half a foot of fresh misery. This week, we are following a similar pattern. Today is 55 degrees Fahrenheit, but Friday it will snow.
Weather in the Rockies is notoriously fickle.
One day you are watching for budding flowers, and the next you are suffocating under a blanket of snow. The glimpses of warmth between storms are both a frustrating tease, and a promise of better days to come. They offer a glimmer of hope and relief for those of us with the winter blues, but they also make us more anxious for the season to change. The truth is, Spring is an illusion in Utah. It begins as a few desperate gasps of sun punctuating the lingering winter, and only stays for a few short weeks in April and May before it is melted away by summer drought. Still, it’s presence is a much needed lift after 4 months of cold and gray. Each year, by the end of February I long for the sight of green.
So I turn to my Mood Boards.
Spring is as fleeting as a dandelion wish, but it’s pastel kisses and dancing flowers bring me hope all year. A few years back, when I found my winter depression was too strong to bear, I created a Pinterest Board inspired by the season. Overtime, I called this board: “Spring Fever” and filled it with images of sun, flowers, and art that reminded me of new life and hope.
I know that Mood Boards and Pinterest have had their day.
As cliche and “cheugy” as it is to create a Pinterest to help me cope with depression, I have found that these pretty pictures make me smile. I find myself looking forward to taking walks around the neighborhood, filling my house with fresh flowers, baking flower-themed deserts (I have a great white chocolate and clover scone recipe), and trying (and failing) to grow a garden. Seeing art based around the season makes me believe that it will come, and I will soon enjoy blue skies and flowers too.
Spring still hasn’t sprung.
The groundhog has spoken, and winter is still here for a few more weeks. But, Instead of despair- I feel hope. Instead of hopeless waiting for the season to change and wallowing in the cold and dark, I am slowly preparing for better days. I am packing away my heavy sweaters, and slowly laying out my warm weather wardrobe. Like all things, winter will end and spring will return. For now, I’ll keep watching for lilacs and apricot blossoms.
Bringing Mae Flowers 