Winter is Gone!!!......I Hope.

Spring has sprung!!! I am not sure how you feel about it, but I couldn’t be happier. I really like all kinds of weather, I guess that is why I live in Kansas, but this winter really had gotten to me. There is something to be said about the first snowfall of the year, but this year there was even more to be said about the last snowfall of the year. Good riddance! I am so glad that warmer weather, greener landscapes and spring are here and the many advantage spring brings.

First off, it is absolutely amazing how much quicker chores go when it is warmer. I am much quicker to get out the door when I don’t have to put on two or three layers of clothes. No more searching for two dry gloves or zipping up those coveralls. Not to mention the fact that I am much more eager to go out the door.  No more staring out the window, wondering just how cold that first slap of wind will be. Nothing beats the warmth of a spring breeze.

Then there are the chores themselves. I am not sure why chopping ice takes so long, but it does.  Then there is the actual filling of the tanks. Making sure the hose doesn’t freeze and draining it after you are done. As an added bonus, there is no more worrying about whether the hydrant has frozen during the night either.

Another aspect of spring chores that saves a great deal of time is not needing to wear gloves. I don’t know about you, but it seems like I am always taking my gloves off to take care of something. It is almost impossible to open a feed sack, take a hose off the hydrant, fill a syringe with medicine, get anything out of a pocket…… well, you get the idea. Gloves seem to occupy a great deal of my time during the winter between finding a correct pair (notice I didn’t say matched, I am happy with just a left and a right handed glove), taking them off and putting them on. I do not miss wearing gloves in the spring.

Warming the pick-up and/or tractor up each morning is another step in the winter ritual I will not miss. It all begins with that sense of worry and dread we all have as we walk out to start them. Will they or won’t they start, will I have a good day or not. Then after much coaxing, pleading and persuading they do start and you either wait for the defroster to melt the frost or scrape it. Usually I scrape, mainly because I have not planned far enough ahead to allow the defroster to work. Then there are those extra special mornings you throw snow and ice into the mix. Yes, I am not going to miss that.

Driving with the windows down is one of my favorite parts of spring. I am not much of an air conditioner person. I prefer to drive with my windows down, radio up loud, wind in my face and take in all the great freshness of spring. Sure the first time you do that, it can be rough. A winters worth of dust, hay, feed and other “stuff” must blow around the cab and settle into its warm weather hiding place. However, it is a small price to pay to get rid of the funky winter smells that have lingered in the cab all calving season.

Those are just a small sampling of the great things I enjoy as winter transitions to spring. Other bonuses of spring include baseball on the radio, longer evenings and less rush to get everything done before dark, grilling on the deck, opening the windows in the house and spring rain showers. Yes, right now it doesn’t get much better than spring.

A couple of weeks of mud and a few trips to the basement because of storm warnings will temper my excitement about the spring season. The constant howling wind will wear me down. Couple this with mounting frustration and growing anxiety about keeping cows behind their winter pasture fence as they are enticed by the quickly growing, green grass and it will make me anxious to get them to summer pasture and out of my hair. Yes, I admit I am fickle about the weather and often my favorite season is the next one. Change is always good especially when it comes to weather, I like variety. I guess that is why I live in Kansas.