Welcome Spring

/ Ann Coleman

Some people know that Spring has arrived when the flowers bloom, or the trees begin to bud.  Others mark the change of season by their schedules:  the kids’ Spring break, baseball’s opening day, or when the lawn service shows up to cut the grass.  But personally, I know it’s Spring when my Spring allergies arrive.  And today was that day.

I was spending the morning in my usual way, walking down the street with a shelter dog, just doing my normal Monday morning volunteer routine.  All was well until I suddenly began sneezing, loudly and repeatedly.  Then my nose started running, and I realized that I’d left all my tissues in my purse, which was locked in the trunk of my car.  “Well,” I thought, “apparently Spring has sprung.”

Despite suffering from seasonal allergies, I really do love Spring.  I love watching the dormant plants coming back to life, and how the sunlight lingers a little bit longer with each passing day.  Soon it will be time to put our patio furniture back out and to have the option of cooking (and eating) our dinners outside again.  And as weird as it sounds, I even love Spring cleaning.  Not the actual work, or course, but the chance it offers to get rid of the extra clutter and make our house look fresh and new again.

I also like the way Spring evokes happy memories of my childhood, like going to bed on a warm evening with the windows open, feeling the cool breeze and being lulled to sleep by the sounds of crickets chirping.  When I was a kid, Spring meant getting to stay up a little bit later, playing outside a little bit longer, and in general just being able to have a bit more fun.  I also knew that Summer was just around the corner, which meant the school year would soon be over and the swimming pools would soon be open.  Not the mention the annual arrival of the beloved ice cream truck….. There’s a lot to love about Spring, from a child’s point of view.

So even though it’s time for me to head to the store and stock up on tissues and antihistamines, I’m a happy camper.  Yes, I know I’ll suffer from the occasional sore throat (gotta love post-nasal drip), and that if I’m standing near strangers when my allergy symptoms are overpowering my allergy meds, I’ll watch them  discreetly take a couple of steps away.  (Thank you, recent Covid pandemic.)  And I know that the warmer temperatures mean the eventual return of mosquitoes, flies, and weeds.

But I don’t care.  Spring is here, in all its glory, and I’m glad.   Happy Spring, Everyone!

100 thoughts on “Welcome Spring”

  1. I’m also enjoying the spring, snow retreating in a melt-freeze-melt that should lessen the shock of flooding.
    I’m NOT thinking of summer heat…just enjoying the joy 38⁰ and full-on sun is bringing!
    Happy Sping to you, too, Ann!

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  2. Sorry that you have the allergies….but you’re not letting them beat your pleasure in welcoming the spring.
    You brought back so many memories for me of spring in Europe…thank you!

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  4. And spring has a certain smell in the air that I love. I’m thankful that I don’t have allergies but I’m sorry to hear that you’re struggling with that right now. I love your thankful attitude despite all the sneezing and discomfort.

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    • I didn’t develop allergies until I was about 30, so I guess I can count myself lucky in that way. I never even understood what people who had seasonal allergies were complaining about! But I did the allergy shots a few years ago, and now I can control the symptoms with over the counter antihistamines, so it’s okay. Thanks for your comment, Patty!

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  5. I agree Ann, you can’t let allergies stop you. I have a stockpile of meds, plenty of washable hankies and now I just need the sun to stick around and the rain to leave for longer than 2 days at a time!

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    • I know what you mean! It’s sunny right now, but we’ve been having tons of gloomy days lately, which makes it harder to appreciate Spring. But when that sun does shine, it’s beautiful!

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  6. Spring is a lot slower in its approach here, but, from time to time you can find the feel of spring in the air and then the cold North wind comes back. No allergens here yet, but soon the snow mold will be uncovered and the dust of winter will make us all sneeze. My Patty also has her antihistamines on hand ready to go, because there are rumours that there will be a shortage this year. Still, spring will be welcome (except for the crows). Happy spring Ann. Allan

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    • Thanks, Allan! I hope Spring comes to your area sooner rather than later. I’m sorry your wife also suffers from allergies…dust bothers me too, as does mold and mildew. But my biggest problem is the pollen from the blooming trees. Thankfully, it doesn’t last more than a few weeks!

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  7. Coming out of winter, spring is so refreshing …. even though we have to endure the fight between the two seasons during March and maybe early April. Cheers to the joy you find in the season – even though your allergies kick in. All hail the ice cream truck in summer!

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    • Honestly, the ice cream trucks is one of my favorite summer memories. It seemed like such a treat! And yes, even though the calendar tells us Spring is here, we’re still having the occasional day of Winter-like temps. If it wasn’t for my allergies, I wouldn’t be sure it really was Spring yet!

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  9. Happy spring to you, Ann! May the joys outweigh the tissues used. I love spring too. Our springs don’t last long before the heat arrives ahead of summer but I enjoy the magical time when the weather is just right.

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  12. I’m with you, Ann! I started sneezing today after working in my backyard the best I could yesterday. Spring blooms with hope! And I’m all about the ice cream truck, too! Happy spring, and thank you for the prayers and support. I support you as well!

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    • I hope your allergies don’t bother you too much, as you don’t need that on top of everything else. I am in awe of your attitude and all that you manage to accomplish. Continued prayers, my friend!

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      • Ann, that’s so kind to say, thank you. Honestly, the allergies seem like a little bump now! Lol. I’ll keep doing my best. But know that I do have some bad attitude moments (I had one yesterday afternoon) and I get myself out of it as quick as I can (feel it and move forward~all God!). Thank you for the continued prayers! I believe!

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  13. I always feel sorry for those that suffer from spring allergies but it sure is a beautiful season to watch. Al the gorgeous greens that come back to life and flowers popping up to say hello! Love it!

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  15. Happy Spring Ann! Here it’s Autumn although where I am now in northern Australia it feels like a perpetual summer. Lovely post evoking memories of my own childhood and the anticipations of a changing season and warmer days. I hope your allergies subside. Hugs and love sent to you from me across the ocean. 💗

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    • Thanks so much, Miriam! And enjoy your Autumn…that season brings its own gifts, doesn’t it? But being on the northern coast of Australia sounds even better. Especially when it comes with the chance to swim with sea turtles!

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  16. We’re far enough ahead of you that our pollens are mostly gone now. The cedar trees can begin producing as early as January; after that, the oaks and pines do their thing. I heard a lot of people complaining this year, but I’ve been quite lucky. The total of my allergy medication this spring has been one benadryl tablet. Yes, I do give thanks!

    I loved your childhood spring memories. For me, those open windows let the sound of robins in, but the breezes, the lovely air, the longer days — it was very much the same. You’ve reminded me of a favorite from Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses:

    ” In winter I get up at night
    And dress by yellow candle-light.
    In summer, quite the other way,
    I have to go to bed by day.

    I have to go to bed and see
    The birds still hopping on the tree,
    Or hear the grown-up people’s feet
    Still going past me in the street.

    And does it not seem so hard to you,
    When all the sky is clear and blue,
    And I should like so much to play,
    To have to go to bed by day?”

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    • Thanks for sharing that poem! Talk about a blast from the past….I had that book as a child and loved it. Robert Louis Stevenson really knew how to look at the world from a child’s point of view. As for allergies, I’m glad you don’t suffer! I’m allergic to oaks, which are just starting to bud. But I’ll get through it.

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  17. Ann, so sorry to hear about the allergies! I know of which you speak. Had bad sinus infections almost every change of season growing up, and then severely broke my nose playing basketball which left me with a very-deviated septum. One day about thirty years ago, I invested in a neti pot. Mrs. Chess thought I was going to drown myself, but I mastered it quickly. I use it to this day year-round, every four days or so. I haven’t had a bad sinus infection since. Since the allergies have been under control, my sign of Spring has been the sun. The way it comes across the house (and inside the house!) differently, compounded by the clocks-ahead-one-hour thing. The sun is my Spring signal.

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    • I really am going to have to get brave enough to try a Neti pot. I know people with chronic allergies and sinus problems swear by them. When you were a child, did you ever sneeze while drinking a soda and have it come of your nose? It stings like crazy and that’s what I keep thinking a Neti pot will feel like. But if I get the same results you had, it would be worth it even if it did hurt like that!

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  22. I can relate to that hay fever and how it’s totally unacceptable to sneeze these days 🙂

    We’ve had a particularly hot summer and only now pulling a sheet over me at night. I’m always grateful for the more temperate climate. Love those childhood memories

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    • Yeah, that will do it these days! I do hope we can someday return to people not being quite so afraid of catching a cold or experiencing allergy symptoms, but we’re not there yet. And they say this year really is a bad one for allergies. From what I’ve heard, that’s the truth!

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  24. In LA, spring is nothing compared to where you are, Ann. But now that I have a daughter living in Minnesota, I am appreciating what it means for her. I’m happy for your seasonal joy, but sorry for your allergies!

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    • I think one of the benefits of living in Southern California is no cold temps and hopefully no, or few, allergy seasons. I do love the four seasons (although in my ideal world, Winter would start on December 1 and end on January 1), but allergies are the price I pay for them. I get them in the Fall too, from ragweed. Why suffer from one allergy season when you can suffer from two, you know? Ha!

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  25. Happy Spring, Ann! As a fellow allergy-sufferer, I can empathize with your sneezing and runny nose. I take Allegra all year round, thanks to my allergies, and it does help. Anything that keeps me from a HUGE sneeze is welcome because poor Monkey seems to think I’m exploding — and barks like crazy when I do it!

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    • Poor little Monkey! Wouldn’t you love to know what’s gong on in his mind when he reacts to your sneezing? Who knows…maybe he’s thinking, “Keep those germs away from me!” I’m glad to know that taking medication helps you. I get pretty good relief from Claritin. Despite it all, happy Spring!!!

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  27. I too love spring and it’s even better because I don’t have allergies. Coincidentally, our household began a long-delayed decluttering process yesterday. Didn’t even think to call it spring cleaning, because it’s hardly been an annual thing. Still, it feels good to create extra space in the house.

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    • I’m so glad you don’t suffer from allergies! That does make it easier to enjoy Spring. And yes, doesn’t it feel good to get rid of clutter? I don’t enjoy the process, but the results are great. Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  29. Ann, I know that enduring endless sneezing, a runny nose and perhaps a “tight head” isn’t the most fun way to welcome Spring but despite your sufferings with allergies, this was such a happy, bouncy post and you tucked a sprig of spring into my heart with your words. I hope your allergies subside soon and allow you many long days of spring~joys.

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  33. I’m so glad you are feeling so Spring-like, Ann, apart from the ‘sneezles and wheezles’ (I don’t know if you know that rhyme from A. A. Milne. It’s a delightful verse – you can read it here if you’re interested https://voetica.com/voetica.php?collection=3&poet=685&poem=3341. )

    I’m sorry you have to deal with your Spring allergies, but glad that the medication is effective. I have annual rhinitis instead of seasonal rhinitis, meaning I get the symptoms all year round. But, like you, I can take medication and inhalers to treat it, and I have learned not to let it bother me all that much.

    I agree; it’s so lovely to see Spring arriving. Now that our clocks have gone forward, it’s lighter in the evenings. It’s so lovely not to shut the curtains at 3.30pm as I do in Winter. My hawthorn has got white blossom on it, and my forsythia shrub is blooming with bright yellow flowers. It’s always the first plant to show itself at the beginning of Spring.

    I wish you many more happy days of Spring, Ann. Enjoy every moment. X 🌼

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  35. Winter was so icy. Happy to (hopefully) finally get to some warmer days. Love how you wrote about summer memories. Very sweet. I loved summer as a kid, too. Probably why it’s still my favorite season.

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  36. You just nailed spring and memories to a tea. I too remember as a kid, leaving the windows open and letting the fresh air in. Hearing the crickets at night and getting to play outside a little longer. Even though I live in Florida now and it’s different from Spring in Wisconsin I still find ways to enjoy it. Some days here are too warm to leave the windows open and the bugs seem more abundant, so to enjoy Spring now it’s just best to go outside for a while and then later retreat into the house for the AC. Good post though, I visualized my childhood home while I was reading this.

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    • Thanks for letting me know! There is something about Spring that always recalls my childhood, so I’m glad it spoke to you too. I rarely sleep with windows open these days (even though our bedroom is on the second floor and our windows are screened) because of the pollen in the Spring and the heat/humidity in the summer. But I sure loved it as a child!

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  37. I’m so sorry about your allergies. I get a cough during allergy season and today in the train I did notice a woman step back a little when I coughed behind my mask (quite a few people here still wear a mask on public transport especially if they have a cold or something). But…like you I’m glad for the budding trees and the warm weather. The sun makes me happy! A very good reminder to be thankful in all things 🙂 even if we are sniffing, sneezing, or coughing. There’s always something to be thankful for. Thanks, Ann, and happy spring to you too!

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    • I tend to get more of sore throat and a bit stuffed up, but when I do cough, I have the exact same reaction you described! People here still wear masks too, although the majority don’t. When I see someone in a mask, I just assume they are at higher risk or are a bit sick and don’t want to spread it. It’s nice that no one thinks twice about seeing people in masks anymore, because they still have a purpose. And yes, the sun makes me happy too! Enjoy!!

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  39. I know that allergies can put a damper on enjoying the outdoors, but I’m glad you’re diving into spring regardless. It’s a beautiful season after a long winter and I agree… it brings along lots of memories from springs past. I’m still waiting, but it’s coming!

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  40. Bravo for stocking up on antihistamines and tissues that will allow you to enjoy all that nature offers during the spring season. The signs of spring are in South Western Ontario but there’s not enough new growth yet for allergies. I hope you can delight your senses without your allergies making you uncomfortable!

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  41. Bravo for stocking up on antihistamines and tissues that will allow you to enjoy all that nature offers during the spring season. The signs of spring are in South Western Ontario but there’s not enough new growth yet for allergies. I hope you can delight your senses without your allergies making you uncomfortable!

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    • Thank you so much! I’m doing pretty well so far by taking my meds and limiting the time I’m outside each day. On the days I walk shelter dogs, I don’t do yard work. One way or another, it all works out. I hope you have a terrific Spring in Ontario!!

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    • Yes, that makes sense. Allergies are bad enough, but if you have excessive heat as well, that could be rather hard to take. In Missouri, the temps in Spring are more moderate. (Although we hit 85 today, which explains the threat of storms tonight.) Thanks for reading!!

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  43. Spring has definitely sprung! We have pollen all over our cars, but I LOVE spring (and summer, really), because as you’ve said, it’s like a time of renewal.

    You know they say the calendar used to begin in March? And the more I thought about it, that would make more sense, than say…January lol

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    • It really does! There’s no real difference between late December and early January, but March is the month where we always (at least begin to ) move from Winter to Spring. And it’s that sense of renewal that feels so much more like a new year.

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