A Golden Day of Weeding

The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is quite another.
- Henry Van Dyke

21st of March is still a week away, but today was my first spring day. It's been warm all week, but I was only able to get out to enjoy it today - after work - finally. And what did I do to celebrate it? Weed! What a joy it is to weed on a golden day - how blissful to feel the sun on my back, soaking in some solitude, the sky a clean, clear blue, the smell of cherry blossom in the air, listening to the birds singing all around me, feeling the coolness of the grass, the tug of the weeds as they give in... I spent hours doing it - all by myself. A landscaping business guy felt sorry for me and stopped and gave me his card - to offer some spring cleaning services. My housemaid last week saw the sad state of my front yard - dead twigs and overgrown weeds and offered the services of her husband - for a hundred dollars. I happily turned them both down. How can I explain to them that I was saving my weeds and my winter twigs for a warm sunny day - for a day like today - just so I can enjoy the glory of spring, and the glory of weeding?


As I made my rounds in and around the nooks and niches, I found a bunch of tiny irises hidden under an overgrown butterfly bush. I had planted them a few years ago but forgotten about them. Their deep blue petals are divine and I love their delicate golden centers. I paired them with mini daffodils that have been popping up cheerfully the past few days, and put them all in an old mustard jar (a present from a friend). It's like bringing in the sun and the sky - a bit of spring inside - they make me smile every time I pass by them.