Spring Fever

I have a friend from California who moved to the northeast for a brief period. She moved here at the beginning of the spectacular fall season and, of course, she was amazed at how beautiful autumn is in the Hudson Valley - reds, yellows, oranges - and the weather is just perfect. I warned her that winter can be a shock to anyone who has never experienced a northeast winter. It can be shocking to us who grew up with one also! That particular winter was one for the record books - constant snow, polar vortex - a real winter. If you have the right clothes and know how to keep warm, winter can be wonderful. In the Hudson Valley, the snow is powdery and stays white and bright, and the sky can be a blistering blue. When the trees are covered in snow, the valley sparkles. My California friend did not take to the northeast winter. And she moved back to California before the arrival of spring. Too bad - because the best thing about winter is winter ending and the arrival of spring fever. I tried to explain to my friend what spring fever is. To someone who has never experienced it, spring fever is hard to explain. But to those of us who know it - we can't wait for it to arrive. Spring fever, that burst of energy, vitality, and joy that comes from the warmth of the spring sun, the arrival of bright colored flowering trees, the sound of manic birds, the smell of moisture filled air, the longer days, the arrival of spring vegetables, and the smiles on everyone's face. I know it must be wonderful to live in a place where the weather is always perfect - the California weather is just amazing - but for those of us who experience real winters - we are blessed with the joys of spring fever. Drink it in folks - it is a true pleasure!