A Drift of Quills for April 2022

Good day and welcome! I'm pleased to bring the Quills post to you for the month. This time around, we are discussing five great things about spring. (Only five? Goodness...) ​I'll share my thoughts with you and then please do also check out what my fellow Quills have to say.

It might be difficult to mention only five, as spring may well be my favorite season, but here goes!

Temperatures. Of course, the season springs on us (see the pun there?) in mid-March, and ends in mid-June. In my neck of woods, that means that the average temperature goes from 39/22 (H/L) to 77/59 (H/L). To me, the best days are at about 70 degrees, and with a good spring, we get a number of them. Sitting outside is such a pleasure and I get a chance to do more walking which, admittedly, I do not do on the blustering cold, windy, and icy days of winter. And then there's the fabulous scent of spring that comes with the temperatures changing. It begins with the dirt and follows through with flowers and herbs and other living things...
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The days get longer. I appreciate that this might not be a big deal to some, but it is to me! Here, our shortest day of winter daylight is only 8 hours and 45 minutes. Not so on the first day of spring. This year we got 12 hours and 10 minutes of daylight on March 20. Now, keep in mind that this came just a couple weeks following our getting an extra hour of daily sunlight as a consequence of daylight savings time. And the last day of spring? We will get roughly 16 hours—with a sunrise at 5:24 am following a “dawn” beginning to light the sky at 4:48 am, a sunset at 9:04 pm, and the end of twilight at 9:40 pm. I track the addition of minutes, almost daily, reveling in each and every one of them! The only downside, is that on the first day of summer, I then have to begin the countdown ...

Color and Life. This is easy. With spring, each day things turn more green, plants begin to flower, and color reigns! When I look out, I see the herds of deer that walk through my yard regularly, the eagles that fly overhead, and the red fox that like to slink around the chicken pen. What more can I say?

Thunder Storms. I love them. Thunder and lightning are like magic. The sights, sounds, and energy, intrigue me. Do you agree?

Special Events.  The month holds Mother’s Day, two family birthdays, and Memorial Day. These are wonderful times to get together with family and friends to celebrate, share our lives, and spend time together—outdoors.

What are your favorite things about spring?

My friend and fellow Quill, Robin Lythgoe, author of As the Crow Flies, has thoughts to share with you. I wonder what her favorite things about spring might be ...

How do I decide on only five best things about spring? That’s like asking me to choose favorite children! If that’s the way we’re going, I’ve decided to keep the twins as one unit. Or the triplets, as it were. So, nyah. As I write this, I’m actually watching the grass grow outside my window. So exciting! But…

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I can't wait to find out what Parker, author of A Hero's Curse, has to say about spring from his farmland homestead...

There's a lot to love about spring on a farm, and of course there's a lot of mud too...  ​

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