distracting spring

I almost hesitate to say this as various parts of the country are still in the firm grasp of winter but…. Spring has definitely arrived in my area of the country. Tulips, jonquils, daffodils, freesia are all in bloom and some are even fading. My sweet peas, borage and cerenthe are all showing signs of vigorous growth and I may start to have blooms from them soon.

The imminent arrival of spring has forced me to be out in the garden weeding, prepping the soil etc., for my annual late March early planting of the annuals. Since I’ve been so busy outside I have had even less time than usual for either reading or posting about what I’ve read.

However, since I have a few free minutes I would like to say that February was a good month for fantasy. I cannot recommend highly enough The Rook and The Girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making.

The Rook by Daniel O’Malley opens with the protagonist Myfanwy Thomas standing over several dead bodies with no memory of who she is. She quickly discovers that she has lost her memory and that Myfanwy (past) has provided documentation for Myfawny present to survive. It soon transpires that she is a high ranking albeit administrative official in a secret organization. She soon comes into contact with a variety of unique people and life forms as well as plots galore. Myfanwy(present) is such an interesting cool character that the book was just fun to read. It alos doesn’t hurt that there are nice subtle touches of humor as the book progresses as well

I reviewed the Girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making by Catherynee M Valente on goodreads so won’t say too much here other than it is a smart, lushly imagined tale that still has some real heart to it. I am so looking forward to reading the sequel. Here is hoping that the sun and blooms don’t keep me entirely form a good book, but I suspect March’s have read bookshelf is going to be a touch slim. May those of you still in the clutches of old man winter soon feel the touch of the goddess herself.

Anticipation

The past week has been a rainy blustery sort of week which, for this time of year, is not all that unusual.
There was something about this past week though that reminded me of my childhood Marchs spent in Colorado. Perhaps it was the high wind or the sly promises of sun.
When I was little I looked forward to spring the way many small children looked forward to Christmas. I hated being cold. I also hated the lack of any discernable color. Winters in Colorado are ugly. Don't let anyone sell you a picture postcard full of gentle white mounds of snow and lacy snowflakes floating down. The reality is that we have thin dry snow, so no pretty lacy snowflakes, which melts quickly once the sun does come out. It also means slushy dirty streets, bare patches of dried dun colored grasses and bare spindly trees. Everywhere there is that ugly, nasty dun color, not a spot of color to be seen.
Every year though I knew that at the end of March, the beginning of April there would be a warm spell. I'd watch for it, my whole body quivering with the promise of warmth. When that warm spell hit (a warm spell being anything over 45 degrees) I'd run outside, sit on my front stoop and watch our Ash tree in the front yard start to bud with that wonderful chartreuse green that all young growth seems to have. I’d scour the ground in my mother’s flower bed to get the first glimpse of grape hyacinth. I'd sit there until my mother hollered at me to come in and put on a jacket before I caught my death of a cold but still I'd sit until the stoop began to cool as the sun moved on its way.
As an adult, living in Northern California, I don't get to have that heightened sense of anticipation, that sense that something is going to change , that there is going to be a little magic in the air. There is always color here even on the greyest day. Like the child who knows Santa isn't real, the exquisiteness of the anticipation is gone. Don't get me wrong, I still tear into my present of sunshine as I watch the daffodils and freesia come up but with just a hint of jadedness as I sit on my front stoop and that's too bad.