I Love Springtime! I Love it! I Love it! I Love it!

These past two days have been absolutely brilliant. The first no-doubt-about-it touch of spring in our little corner of Idaho. Life has replenished before unbelieving eyes yet again. Every year it's the same. Months of gray creep along slowly. Snow falls and unforgiving cold seeps into your bones like a virus. You become accustomed to shivering and watching your breath transform to fog. In fact, these activities pass as entertainment.

Then one glorious day you take a moment to stop shivering and notice that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, has changed. The world is green again. Leaves announce their triumphant reunion with the wind. Flowers every color of the rainbow stretch toward the sky and the sun wraps you in warm rays like a blanket.

While witnessing nature's grand rebirth, only one response escapes from your stunned and delighted soul ..... "How the @#$$# did that happen!!!"

Yes, kiddies, spring has returned and its time to endure Uncle Dave's annual "I love springtime! I love it! I love it! I love it!" rant. Hey this blog is free so you get what you get. Now pipe down and listen!

These past two days have renewed my lust for living. The thermometer climbed toward 90 degrees, the clouds decided to take a much-needed vacation, and the brilliant blue sky flexed its muscles. This is simply a beautiful time of year. It makes me wish I was a novelist, so I could describe the scene with something a little more eloquent than, "It sure is purdy! Yessiree!"

Alas, I am a poet not. And my prose reek of cheese that be stinky. Anyhoo, it was so purdy yesterday that I jumped in the Green Machine and hightailed it down to the river! The same thing I do every year when the sun comes out.

I don't think I've shared this before, but if I truly had my way, I would live in a VAN down by the RIVER. I haven't decided yet if I would wear uncomfortably tight suits from the 1970's and slam myself into coffee tables, but I would lay my head where the sound of cool running water sings me to sleep. (I'm reading "The Grapes of Wrath" right now, so please excuse the painfully bad imagery I'm using).

Michael was off gallivanting with his Grandparents for the day, so the river and I shared a quiet, peaceful reunion during a lazy spring afternoon. I sat on a log in my favorite spot and watched the current float by with the same sense of awe I've held since my first moments on this Earth. Ducks were flying overhead, and the trees conducted their quiet symphony with the breeze (I'm sorry, I can't help myself!). I wish I could say these were the only sounds present, but there was a disturbingly loud generator humming off in the distance. What can I say, I live in the suburbs.

I sat by the water for several minutes, just appreciating the fact I've been blessed enough to share in this vast and incomprehensible dance we call "life." At times like this, it often occurs to me that humans think we have all the answers. The truth is we'll never crack the surface when it comes to the mystery and power of nature and the divine. When it comes to understanding "life," we're all just guessing and that's perfectly okay.

My next thought was equally profound .... "Why did I wear sandals when I knew I would be walking on a dirt path filled with tiny rocks? Ouch!"

And thus my deep thoughts for the afternoon ended.

Feeling at peace after a long winter, I proceeded to show off my "there are rocks in my sandals" dance to several confused onlookers while making my way back to the Green Machine. I returned home feeling calm, jubilant and filled with one simple thought .. "I love springtime! I love it! I love it! I love it!"

Enjoy the sunshine kiddies!

- Dave