A down jacket sits discarded in the same chair every day for ease of access. The basket by the door of gloves and mittens, overflows in a tangle of fingers. Boots, that I tried to corral all winter at the edge of the tack room, lie twisted and muddy, like severed limbs littering the floor.
We knew it couldn’t last, this winter of bitter winds. I smirked to myself as I stood in the store this afternoon and watched high-schoolers gathering at the picnic tables outside my neighbor-store, Ava Marie Chocolates. They wore shorts and a few girls wore camisoles, defying the degrees as they chowed on ice cream. This is New Hampshire and with the temps above 45° for more than a day, we are embracing Spring.
I will need to address the winter detritus; clean and store the coats, boots, hats, gloves and all the receptacles they filled. Flip-flops will replace most of the boots though a pair of field boots for riding will remain. The layers peel off. Footwear becomes light and socks disappear. Down vests and jackets will be replaced first with fleeces then with scarves. Skin comes out to drink in the elements.
One year ago today, I took a break from writing and went to explore with Alice. I wrote about it here; the exhilaration of being out in the woods in the Spring never gets old.
Why does one person need so many pairs of boots?
This is what happens when you try to stage a photo shoot in my house…
Therapeutic Misadventures 
Personally, I like the wine bottle stuffed in the riding boot…. if the label showed, it would be a great marketing photo for both Ariat AND the wine producer! Priceless.
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Doesn’t everyone use empty wine bottles to make their boots stand up? Better than those wooden shoe tree things!
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Genius….
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Welcome spring!! Time for some “dirt therapy”
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It’s great to not have to think about how many layers you need to wear before going out.
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Now if we could just count on it staying warm for more than a day!
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Glad it’s finally arrived. Here you never can tell so the boots and coats stay out as one day feels like winter the next spring.
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If I put everything away the cold will come back, rain boots are year round!
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I adore spring and the shedding of all those bulky layers. That is, until it reveals the winter pudge I put on in an attempt to aid what those bulky layers could not accomplish on their own.
Ah, the pruning of plants and the pruning of pudge. They go hand in hand. 😉
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Nicely put!
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