Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

 

I gleefully pulled out my flip-flops over the weekend.

If you ask anyone who knows me well, I love flip-flop season and prefer to go barefoot year-round when I’m in the house.

Though I know spring is likely still a few snowstorms away, it was nice to get a glimpse of spring-like weather. The sun was out, the snow was melting, and I must admit, I got a little bit of spring fever.

Don’t worry, I won’t do anything irrational. I know I won’t be able to plant my garden for probably another two months, but a girl can daydream, right?

I got a letter from the city last week, reminding me that it’s time to renew my community garden plot if I want it again this year before it opens up for the general public. That started my garden fantasies for the year, and then the warm weather over the weekend pushed that into high gear.

Then there’s my backyard. The snow is completely melted off my back deck, and I’m already picturing sitting back, relaxing in the fresh air or enjoying a meal outdoors with my family. Did I mention grilling?

We won’t dwell on the fact that underneath all the snow that’s melting in the backyard, there’s still quite a few leaves — but I guess we’ll deal with those when the time comes.

We went for a leisurely walk in our neighborhood on Saturday — of course I couldn’t resist wearing my flip-flops.

It was great to be outdoors until we rounded the first corner.

As a result of all of this snow that has melted, there are now many large puddles at some intersections and along the sides of some streets.

Holding my son’s hand while my husband walked with our dog, I quickly became the target of some giant puddle splashing by my 8-year-old son, who loves to jump in puddles large and small.

Needless to say, my feet were soaked and I was flip-flopping/squeaking all the way back to the house.

Looking back over the afternoon, it was worth it, though, to get out and enjoy the fresh air and to see my son having fun outdoors.

Living in Minnesota at this time of year, we often get a little cabin fever as we’re eager to start up our activities that take place during the warmer months.

Though it’s likely we will still get some more snow or at least some chilly days before spring is officially here, at least we have little breaks here and there to remind us the end is near.

Spring will be here before we know it, and soon enough the heat and humidity of summer will follow.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Tuesday.