Monday is the first day of spring. Somewhere around 5:39 in the morning, the sun will cross the celestial equator and all parts of Earth will receive equal amounts of daylight and night. That may not seem like a big deal to most people but the older I get, the more important it seems and the longer it takes for that day to get here.
That may be in part because winter is now so different. When I was a kid we used to go cross-country skiing in December and could even snowmobile that early on small lakes in northern Illinois. Good luck with that today.
There was a time when we could tell the thickness of the ice by the sound of the cracks and pops that would spontaneously appear in the late afternoon. Each thickness had its particular frequency and quality. Today’s ice, if it even forms, doesn’t make any of those sounds. Don’t pick a fight with a guy who doesn’t talk and don’t ever go out on quiet ice.
Anyway, except for some desperate last gasps, winter is over. The snow, if it even falls, is generally gone in a day or two without any effort from us. Say what you want about rain, but you don’t have to shovel it and plows won’t pile it at the end of your driveway so you can’t get out.
This is the month in which the ground generally softens and early flowers like common snowdrops and winter aconite manage to work their way up toward the light. Native Americans, or First Nation peoples if you’re Canadian, used to mark this month by the worms that started appearing.
In fact, few people know, or perhaps even care to know, that the full moon in March, which this year occurred on the 12th, is called the Full Worm Moon. That’s not a very romantic name like Harvest Moon and I don’t think there are any love songs about it, but its other name, Full Sap Moon, isn’t much better.
To me, the springtime event that’s far more interesting is the early March entrance of ruby-throated hummingbirds into the southeastern states. According to hummingbirds.net, a wonderful source, they entered southern Alabama and Georgia last week. If you want to follow their migration northward, the site has a map that marks reputable sightings by date.
While we wait for the birds to get here, we can observe another springtime event, the beginning of the renovation of the 95th Street Library. I clearly don’t know what libraries are about these days. Social floors, gaming rooms and green screen rooms sound a little strange, but if they keep at least a few books I’ll be happy.
For me, the thing that really marks the beginning of spring is what’s going on in Glendale, Ariz., where the White Sox are in spring training. Yes, I know, everybody, including our oldest boy, is a Cubs fan, and the Cubs do have an amazing team right now.
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But good guys still wear black and the Sox have picked up a few players who actually seem like they might be able to hit the ball, one of the two important things to master in that sport. Maybe I’ll live long enough to see a Red Line World Series.
Until then, spring is the season of hope and renewal, and while the first day of spring is important, I contend it is no more important than baseball’s opening day.