May 7: Determined reader(s) will recall that I have “declared Spring” since starting this site in 2015. The date for Spring’s arrival has fluctuated with the change in weather but is usually around the third week in May. This year, we had a nice warm and dry April which seemed to encourage early bud growth on many plants. Unfortunately that was followed by a period of cooler and wetter weather which feels distinctly un-Spring-like to me.
In spite of all that, many of the early plants are have blossomed or are well underway. Among them is the Saucer Magnolia at the end of the street that I use to gauge the arrival of Spring. It’s now in full bloom, so notwithstanding the cool and damp conditions, I think we can conclude that Spring has arrived.
At this time last year, I was concerned that the suddenly warmer and more welcoming weather would encourage people to abandon their self-isolation against COVID. As it turned out, there was a solid decline in the pandemic through the later part of Spring and into Summer. Unfortunately, after that lull, things got deadly serious and the third wave descended on us all.
I’ve been pretty much locked in since that time. So I find it difficult to truly appreciate the hopefulness and rebirth that characterizes Spring. Sure it’s warm and pretty and welcome. But the pandemic is far from over, and Spring feels tenuous and tentative this year. So many of the gains we’ve made can be undone by people who are careless or unthinking. I hope that I am wrong and that we will all have that spectacular Summer we all deserve after so long in isolation. Only time will tell.