It’s the “false spring” one day, and the next, not. When I was at church to bake communion bread, it was spring for sure. Of course the dough knew it, and behaved accordingly.
Yesterday, the wind and various other factors contributed to further thaw the bones of my soul. While I was in my own garden trimming the lemon tree, pomegranate bushes, lavender and a few other plants, a series of great gusts came up suddenly, and made a clattering of doors and toys and other blowing-around stuff in the neighborhood.
The poem below doesn’t originate in my area of the country, so it will never perfectly fit the weather here, but I love the spirit of it, and I’m sure it will please a few of you in more northerly parts of the world. If you tend to be impatient with poems, try reading this one out loud.
TO THE THAWING WIND
Come with rain, O loud Southwester!
Bring the singer, bring the nester;
Give the buried flower a dream;
Make the settled snowbank steam;
Find the brown beneath the white;
But whate’er you do tonight,
Bathe my window, make it flow,
Melt it as the ice will go;
Melt the glass and leave the sticks
Like a hermit’s crucifix;
Burst into my narrow stall;
Swing the picture on the wall;
Run the rattling pages o’er;
Scatter poems on the floor;
Turn the poet out of door.
-Robert Frost
Because we haven’t had any rain in several weeks — or has it turned into months? — I had to put the hose on potted plants that aren’t on the automatic drip system. Hidden behind one big pot, this little great-grandbaby of a cactus I started was in full baby bloom. I brought her indoors to brighten up my kitchen, still lit also by the fairy lights, which are there for the days when spring is clearly not. yet.
Gladsome Lights 
I always enjoy seeing your garden!
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We had a false spring day, too — 47 degrees. No blooms, just rain, which froze so now every street is like an ice rink. But it was nice while it lasted. Love all the color here!
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Beautiful Irises!! Nice Robert Frost poem. I took your advice and read it aloud.
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That poem exactly describes our blustery East Coast weather today. Happy gardening to you!
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We are also having extremes! Yesterday it neared sixty and windows were open and I had to turn down the thermostat; this morning (8:30 right now) it’s around fifty and will be just above freezing when I get out of work. It rained and blew so much, everything is soaked and there will be ice later! Spring wants to come early, I guess. This is March weather.
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My Christmas cactus is just beginning to bloom 🙂 I love that Frost poem! He’s so good. We have that wind today, but the temps are cooling all day (the high was this morning), so … a false spring yesterday for us also.
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Lovely poem! Really speaks of spring coming in. Full of life. Your plant pics are gorgeous. I’m looking forward to spring and lots of GREEN. I miss the green. Is that a Christmas cactus? I was given one and it’s very pretty, but never blooms. I heard you have to give it complete darkness for a certain amount of time. Ain’t got time for that! 😄 Hope you have a great weekend, Gretchen!
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Good Morning,
Your garden is lovely. I love that blooming cactus! It feels like months since we had rain. We should have a perfect weekend here. Then cold next week. I have worked a tiny bit in the garden. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
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Glimpses of your beautiful church make me smile. Are flowers really blooming now? We still have snow on the ground, although it was warm a few days ago and rained!
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