Spring Whining

You complain and you whine and you cry and you don’t dare to hope it will come.

But the days stretch slowly, like the grizzlies who are probably hitting snooze a final time before yawning their way out of the caves cartoons have assured me they slumber in. (If it’s on TV, it must be true.)

The sun rises a little earlier and stays out a little later, gearing up for the big season when we’ll all be out to catch some of those rays. The moon’s happy, too. She can finally stop brightening over time soon.

I don’t know what that groundhog did, but it seems good ol’ Phil pulled in a favor. Spring has sprung – or it will do in a week, if you go by the calendar. Just don’t shoot the messenger if the weather puts on a couple of cold spells before then.

It’s sure to be another false start among many; spring loves to tease. No matter how fleeting each warm moment, the difference can already be felt.

Little spots of dark on the ground might stir as you walk past, flying up with a force that has nothing to do with your step. The bravest, or least patient, insects are already venturing out.

Some days look just a little less grey. Coats are only half buttoned, scarves lay open, or forgotten at home. Iced coffees are making their comeback.

Most definitive of all, a four-legged bewhiskered beast forsakes his warm spot to further dirty his coat in the bushes, despite the breeze and occasional precipitation. He smells the change in the air.

He could be bored, too.

Of course, there is another beast brought on by spring’s imminent arrival – and I don’t mean fleas looking for our bushy-tailed anxious kitty.

It’s time to pay the piper. Before we can officially welcome in spring, we have to contend with Daylight Saving Time.

If you don’t have the luxury of sleeping in tomorrow, you better try a warm glass of milk early tonight. (For any other lactose intolerant types out there, warm almond milk with cloves is just as soothing. Coconut milk ice cream counts, too. I’m certain of it.)

We should have known there’d be a price for early glimpses of spring. (Although a certain grey beast would like to point out that he has been forced inside by scary piles of the cold whitestuff on too many occasions to constitute a short winter.)

So tonight or tomorrow, or even Monday depending on how you s(l)ee(p) it, we pay up. This isn’t a political column, so I won’t point out the state legislation introduced last year in multiple state legislatures – including the Gem State’s – which supported the idea of doing away with the “savings” if other states opted for the same. But if you feel strongly either way, you know who to lobby.

Still, for any who will be nestled in bed for one hour less, I hope the sight of sunlight – which now appears well before 8 a.m. – and the impending vernal equinox will soften the blow. If not, you can always throw your stuffed bear and complain; it works very well for Her Royal Highness, Karma kitty.