“My sister and I used to try and “hurry” the warm weather by putting on our bathing suits (unbeknownst to the adults) and going down to wade in the creek. Spring has just gotta come soon.”
—Sallie Covolo aka Granny Sal – March 2013
When I was a girl I tried to hurry spring by begging Granny to let me wear shorts and wade in the creek. As an adult I find myself trying to hurry spring by planting things in the garden even though I know it’s not really warm enough yet.
We’ve had some really warm days and then last weekend we had a hard freeze—both are typical for spring in Appalachia. March was the windiest I can remember, and it looks like the wind is going to blow on into April.
The wind has blowed almost constantly for over a week. The big gusts are the most impressive but even without the gusts the air is alive with movement.
Unfortunately the wind has led to several forest fires. One day this week The Deer Hunter called to say “Don’t burn anything, the whole worlds on fire and there’s not enough people to put it out.”
I hope the wind soon lays and the fires all go out.
Last night’s video: Dorie Women of the Mountains 10.
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My grandfather wouldn’t let my father and aunts go without long johns until a certain date. One aunt still sticks to it. We sure have had a cold winter, in CNY. Doesn’t seem like spring anytime soon here – still snow spitting in the air some days & grey, grey, grey. Its finally spring for me when I get my chicken coops cleaned out, piglets & chicks in, potatoes in the ground, and laundry can start going out on the line. Only the chicks have arrived so far. Anyone having any trouble with their chicks’ health this year? Have had 3 die. : ( Tipper – please do a post about laundry line in Appalachia! My family & I are very picking about our laundry hangin’s!!!! Seems like everyone has their own opinion about the BEST way, but of course my “way” is the right way!
I have my onion sets ready to go. Tomorrow at church I plan to wear my off white pants and sky blue sandals. It is suppose to be cold tomorrow but maybe that will force spring to finally change its mind and get here.
WE have turned off the gas heat. Maybe that will REALLY force spring to get here.!
This is spring! One day it’s spring and the next it is winter. Spring plays with us and not very kindly. We want the warm weather so badly that we convinced it’s here. One day it will get warm and stay…but not today.
In Charleston WV when I was a kid March was kite flying season. The forsythia was blooming and the crocuses were pushing up through the soil. The wind was usually cold though!
I’m very sorry about your fires; our CA drought is continuing and our fire season is just around the corner. We hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
I have been praying for those fires/fire fighters since they got started last week. I’ve also been praying for protection for y’all. I’m glad to know they haven’t directly impacted y’all. We’ve been trying to rush Spring along, too. Love and prayers from SC,
I understand how you feel. I’ve tried to hurry Spring by planting too, even though I shouldn’t have. I lost my broccoli and a couple of cabbages during that last hard cold spell. Then I lost all my beets except for one due to not having them covered with netting and some critter ate them all. I planted close to a hundred and almost all of them had come up about two inches high. It was my first time planting them and was so excited because I enjoy eating beets. Oh well, at least the critters enjoyed them and at least left me one to hopefully enjoy. I have that one covered in netting now, so hopefully it will be protected to grow.
I’m so sorry to learn fires on the mountains. I pray the fires stop and for all your safety.
Almost 80 one day this week and a frost warning for last night here in Middle TN. We keep saying the wind is going to take us all away to Oz.
It’s terrible for the fires to happen again. I so admire the firefighters. Must feel like Hell itself with the flames and the wind whipping. I hope it rained there like it did here.
My brothers and I hurried spring by begging to be allowed to go barefooted.
Spring is such a wonderful time. It can be unpredictable, but we can also be aware that in the near future we can plant and leave those heavy coats in the closet. Somehow the cold harsh winds of Winter make it even better to see my favorite robins and dandelions.
In my memory one of my first lessons Miss Gent taught in second grade was learning about the seasons, and the most vivid being, “April showers bring May flowers.” It was such a pleasant memory that one of the first books I gave my grandson was about the seasons. He was not impressed! My most treasured gifts were the dandelions presented by children, and they always were displayed proudly in a small glass of water. I remember so well the slightly bitter taste of the dandelion greens, as they were always part of the wild greens we picked with neighbors from the abundant hillsides. I will never tire of reading your blog, Tipper, as long as you continue taking the simple everyday things and show their importance in our everyday lives.
I can remember my Mother would not let us go barefoot until May 1. Take care and God bless
If there was a way to hurry spring, I would be the first to give it a try. March 2022 has been the ugliest, grayest, windiest, and coldest in many years. I couldn’t wait to get outside and pick up limbs on a warm day last week. We had a wind advisory but the chore had to be done before the first grass cutting. It didn’t take me long to realize how dangerous it was to be working under a tree with limbs falling all around me. It’s freezing again this morning but the sun is shining.
I live in the very southern tip of Greenville County, SC. This morning there was a very light frost on the windshield of my truck and rooftop of my garage. I also live close to a creek and this may have something to do with the temps. It was 37 degrees. The city of Greenville was about 5 degrees higher. The extended forecast calls for the lows to be in the mid to upper 30’s for Friday and Saturday nights of next week in Greenville, you can bet on the temps being a few degrees lower in the county. My daddy and father in law both would say you are wasting your time by planting before the ground temperature gets right. Even if it comes up it will not grow. This year the ground here has not yet been dry enough to plow. If you plow your ground wet it will turn into hard clods that will stay that way from now on. They also would say there usually will be a cold spell around Easter. As for playing in the creek, I jumped in the creek mentioned above one time along about this time of the year but only one time!
I do not recall hurrying spring so much as hurrying summer. I still have to laugh about how us two boys would beg Dad to let us go swimming in late spring. We always swam in the creeks so you know they still had their winter chill. We would dive in and try our best not to gasp while our lips turned blue and we couldn’t stop our teeth from chattering. Of course Dad was not fooled and he might let us have about 20 minutes. If we ever convinced him to try it (usually hoping he wouldn’t) we knew it was all but over. He would dive in, suck in a big shocked breath, scramble out and we might just get 5 more minutes before he said, “Time to go, boys.” It wss not wise to argue.
It’s funny. I would be exactly the same way now. As I used to tell my boss, “I’m not gonna be cold on purpose.”
Here in Oklahoma, there has also been the colorful but distinct smokey sunsets and the smell of prairie fire on the high winds. The racing speed of fires through cedar trees is unbelievable and we are mindful of even embers from hearth fires. Bless those who are dealing with this.
Cold this morning..but good for a walk….and a ride through Nantahala Mon morning with a stop at the
Beechertown pull-off and a walk at Deep Creek later in the day….
Where is the Beechertown pulloff? I am familiar with the Gorge but don’t know many place names.
We’re praying the fires are put out soon. I saw a newcomer out burning leaves so I stopped the car and let him know about what’s happening with the burn ban. I told him it’s safer for everyone to rake and compost the leaves for his garden. He gets garden gold for his trouble.
People who move to the mountains don’t always know about “micro-climates” and the “Little Winters” of Appalachian springtime. They try to hurry Spring by getting out and pruning their bushes too soon. When the next frost hits their bushes look like “kilt lettuce”.
I always get anxious for the warmth of spring about this time of the year. Green up is a couple of weeks slower here on the Cumberland Plateau than it is in the surrounding valleys. It has been very windy here for days and too dry to safely burn the brush piles I need to attend to.
I can relate to hurrying Spring. Last weekend was both cold and blowy. March certsinly did not leave like a lamb!