Well, it’s late April, nearly Earth Day, and I think that Mother Nature is just showing off. It’s been pretty mild this spring and we’ve really enjoyed the massive blooms on the crabapple and the small, scattered
blossoms on our very old, very tall pear tree. Many of the shrubs are just coming in bloom.

But, of course, Mother Nature just had to put on a show of dominance and drop eight inches of heavy snow overnight, complete with freezing temperatures. Sure, we can always use the moisture, and hopefully the snow will somewhat insulate the plants from the frost, but someone just had to
flex their muscles to remind us of what SHE can do so we don’t get complacent about the weather.

Our winter wasn’t too bad — not too much snow but enough. And the mountains got plenty of inches to support the skiing and keep the rivers running through summer. It has been fairly spring-like over the last month or so, not too much rain but enough, and many nice sunny days when we could leave the windows open and let the house breathe. About a month ago, we had fierce winds that took down lots of branches from our old trees, but things seemed to have settled down lately.

I suspect I got a little cocky. I had been thinking about our garden and what I wanted to plant this year. I made notes about all the yard chores — turning the beds, repairing one of the raised-bed side boards,
turning on the sprinklers, and we even had the yard mowed for the first time — all the stuff we do before we begin planting. I took out the seed catalog (Nichols Garden Nursery in Oregon) and started flagging seeds I wanted to order.

Obviously, Madame Nature found my chutzpah to be offensive, so I needed to be reminded that I wasn’t the one in charge. Hence, the snow and freezing temps!

I think perhaps the birds have been trying to warn us. Their feeder has been emptying quickly all spring, as though they knew something was coming. Today, I’ll need to shovel in order to get to the feeder to refill it again. That also means I’ll have to dig out the snow shovel that I haven’t needed for the last month
and clear off the walks and patios.

I admit that with the warmer weather I stopped wearing socks and could just get by with my loafers. My flannel shirts were enough for most days, and I even wore shorts one afternoon. Now, I’ll need to find my light and heavy coats, again. I think I know where the mittens and hat are, but having to dress up for the snow always makes me think of the kid in A Christmas Story, all bundled up and looking (and feeling) like a marshmallow.

That’s an apt reminder that I’m not the young lad I once was, and shoveling and digging are more of a challenge these days. Yet another reminder that I’m not the one in charge.

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”

~ William Ernest Henly, Invictus

Sigh. Tell that to Mother Nature.