A few days ago heralded the first day of Spring, the Vernal Equinox. We have arrived, and despite a few wistful sighs and moans, this area has mostly gotten off easy as far as a Winter goes. Of course there are still plenty of weeks left to throw us a few curve snow-balls, but overall, it could have been worse.

Crocus and daffodils are popping up in the yard. In one corner a patch of blue Scilla has begun to bloom, a sure sign that things are moving forward.

Migration has begun, chevron formations high above. Birds are singing and preparing nests.

Friends and family in locations that are ahead of us weather-wise are already sharing photos of their gorgeous blooms, with the exciting promise of beautiful things to come.

It is so easy to get psyched with anticipation at the first signs of Spring. That little piece of wild animal remaining within us gets turned on and there we are, head lifted and eyes to the sky, nostrils flaring in search of green scents, our fast-beating hearts awaiting buds bursting forth.

It seems to always be the same, this early tease of Spring here in the Northeast. We think it has really arrived, but it is actually just the Spring of Deception we are experiencing. Fake out!

Don’t pack away those winter clothes and break out the spring-wear so fast……suddenly, a cold snap. Not soon afterwards, temps plummeted into the 20’s and the winds began whipping icy cold as we slipped into the next phase of “The Twelve Seasons of the Northeast” – the inevitable Third Winter.

This morning there was a light film of ice on the branches of My Red Tree, eventually giving way to steady rain, which has been pretty much non-stop all day long.

Just ever so slightly north of here, the snow has returned.

It’s a day for making bean and vegetable soup, having hot cups of tea, and indulging in Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. Speaking of winter clothes and spring wardrobes, at the moment I’m having a bit of a laundry crisis. It’s a day for dealing with the washing machine, which is suddenly broken.

The washer initially fills up with water okay, agitates, spins out and drains, but when it gets to the Rinse cycle it will not fill up with water again. Instead it just starts agitating with no water in it, a real recipe for tearing your clothes to shreds. So I have to stay nearby in order to catch it when it gets to the Rinse cycle, quickly stop the machine before it begins agitating and turn it back to the beginning of the cycle so it can actually fill up with water again. At that point I need to stop it once more and then move the dial forward to Rinse, where it will agitate again – this time with water in it – and then eventually drain and spin out. Needless to say, this is agitating me.

So it’s just as well I am sticking close to home today to deal with this anyway. Something will need to be done to remedy the problem in the very near future. The machine is twelve years old. I remember once upon a time they lasted twenty years, but nothing seems to even last even a fraction of that time these days. I am dreading the possibility of needing yet another replacement machine because of the difficulty in finding one small enough to fit in this narrow space, and the challenge of getting the old stacker out and another one into the house and up these winding Victorian stairs (See Appliance Decor 1/22/12 for the previous fiasco).

By the end of the week it should be warming again, more flowers will be blooming, the world greening up. Hopefully, something will happen which will allow me to adequately and easily do laundry again. And we can look forward to the next season, the arrival of The Pollening…….

~*~