March Winds
“March winds, April showers bring forth May flowers”
T.S. Eliot claimed that April was the cruellest month but in my book the month of March, in Toronto at least, is by far the most dastardly.
Why, you ask? Let’s start with the weather. Even though technically spring begins in March, here it is a week after March 21 and there is snow in the air and sub-zero temperatures. That new spring jacket will have to stay hanging in the closet - your warmest Canada Goose parka is more appropriate for your daily walk.
it’s too early to put away the winter parka!.
Then there’s the landscape. It’s too cold to clear the garden of dead leaves and perennial stalks so front yards are bereft of colour or interest. The huge snow banks that were a result of our vicious winter have thankfully melted but left behind are accumulations of cigarette butts, lonely single mittens and take-out containers.
As for escaping to a warmer climate, your winter holiday break is in the past and summer travel is ages away.
So what to do to survive the capricious month of March? Spring cleaning is always an option. Not only do you feel virtuous, but you are left with a tidier closet, kitchen cupboard, or basement storage area. Ditto for polishing the silver or a decor refresh project.
For me a dreary March day is optimal for indulging in an afternoon movie. Preferably a classic that you never got around to watching. Recently, wrapped in a cosy blankie, I viewed a Hitchcock film starring Doris Day and James Stewart called The Man Who Knew Too Much. It swept me away to Morocco and London in the fifties - its glamour the perfect antidote to a humdrum week spent mainly indoors.
Knitting a summer Tshirt in linen and cotton
Baking is nice because it fills your rooms with wholesome smells while the oven warms up your home. And knitting of course because it’s creative and zen. A switch to linen instead of wool yarn reminds you that yes, summer will arrive.
Appropriately, the month of March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. April, on the other hand, from the Latin verb aperire calls to mind the opening of flower buds. Here’s to leaving March winds behind us and looking forward to blossoming spring!
Spring is coming!
