I can’t believe that the A to Z Challenge is upon me
already. And, as usual, I find myself
woefully unprepared for it. Not that I haven’t
been thinking about it. I have! I just haven’t settled on a theme that I like
well enough to write 26 blogs about.
I have entertained an array of topics: recipes, TV shows, movies, songs… the usual
suspects. And have rejected them
all. None seem at all right.
So my first A to Z Challenge topic is simply April.
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It’s not my favourite month.
April, along with its predecessor, March, are the kind of months were
one finds one’s self in a sort of activity limbo. The weather is unpredictable; not winter, but
not spring. There is a lot of waiting
going on, waiting for the snow to melt and the temperature to stabilize. Waiting for the right time to replace the
winter tires with All-seasons. Waiting
to feel confident enough to put away the snow shovels and blowers and get out
the rakes and lawn mowers. Waiting to
get the summer clothes of the back of the closet and put the winter clothes in
their place. It’s often very cold in the morning, causing
one to don mittens and ear muffs, which, by mid-afternoon, become a bothersome
nuisance then having to be packed back home in pockets or purses. More mittens and such get lost in these
seasonless days than any other time.
As Aprils go, this one is starting out on a decidedly good
note. It’s warm (+3), the sun is shining
and the wind is calm. March went out
like a lamb, and April had begun just has gently, whispering promises of Spring
to come. Geese are making their way back
up North, their cheerful honking filling the air as they fly by. The snow is receding, like a slow-motion tide
revealing the detritus of autumn not gathered before winter blanketed it in a
thick white cloak. Thoughts are turning
to gardens and the joys of being outside with the warm sun on one’s back. BBQ’s are being un-covered. Running shoes are replacing boots. Bicycles are finding their way out of
sheds. And the complaints about the
weather are in transition. For now
people are appreciating the new warmth as they gear up to grouse about the rain
and the heat that is sure to follow.
It’s good to have a challenge while I wait for all this
waiting to be done. I just hope that I
can meet it! Suddenly the alphabet seems
very long and in these early hours of the day my muse seems rather more
reluctant than I had hoped. “What,” she
asks, “were you thinking!?”
Well, right now I’m thinking that it’s time to get dressed
and maybe head out for a walk. It’s a
glorious day and a little fresh air and sunshine seems to be in order.
