by Denise Dykstra

“Pure Michigan” seems to be feeling purely worn out right now. I realize it’s a broad statement to claim that spring fever has caught us all, but at this very moment I am thinking of even those I know who love winter; even they are over it.

So I am pretty sure “Spring Fever” is in the air and all about us.

Those Pure Michigan advertisements show pure snow powder, but there isn’t any commercial that shows off worn-out snowbanks the color of filth. And right now, we are looking at a whole lot of ugly snowbanks.

On Sunday I wore my non-insulated, very impractical but very cute boots to church. Did my feet freeze and did I lose all feeling in them? That is completely beside the point.

For a bit of time, my feet were not encased in wool socks and insulated boots and they looked ever so cute dressed up like that, if I do say so myself.

The other day I was shoveling snow (why does it persist on continually coming back?) and the birds were singing a merry tune to me. Perhaps the birds also wanted to remind me to fill the feeders. But it’s been a long time since I have been serenaded by bird songs.

It was the loveliest time I have had shoveling snow all season. I now find myself wondering how I will decorate my front porch this summer, even as I shovel the snow off it.

A friend of mine and I decided a 40ish degree day is for sure the perfect day for a walk. Did we leave when the temp was far from 40ish? Yes, yes we did. We “walked” all through the village. I say “walked” with emphasis because there was a lot of shuffling over seen ice and black ice and we are at the age where falling is not graceful, nor do we any longer bounce up from falls.

We felt warm and were taking off our mittens and hats and unzipping our warm coats by the time we arrived back at the house. Throughout that 40ish-degree day, I watched many others walking around and every student-aged kid was without a coat. Do they ever wear coats in their teen years? They may not. But it was the first day I didn’t think “Where is their coat?” and instead just smiled to see them all out and about.

I know I have spring fever in a bad way because I don’t even mind the mud. Well, I don’t mind the mud as much as I do in the full-blown mud season. I am still in the “Look! We have mud again!” state of euphoria.

This mud euphoria doesn’t last long, the current mud moments nor my happiness to see mud, but for right now it is a welcome change from the chunks of snow and rock salt that have been tracked into the house for months on end.

Even with snow in the forecast this week (I may cry), I want you to know spring truly is just around the corner. We could smell it in the air if the air was not so frigid cold most days. My friend Carol posted a photo of green coming up from the ground. I nearly cheered when I saw that it was not a “remember when,” but a real-time photo. I asked her if I could share it all with you and she heartily agreed.

But the surest sign of spring? The one that snow and cold and ice can not take from us? The lucky green Shamrock Shakes have returned.

Tonight, for the first time ever, my youngest sons drove to an establishment to purchase a Shamrock shake for me. I laughed and hugged them and declared we needed a photo. We always try to get a photo on the first Shamrock Shake Day. They had no idea I was gathering all the information I needed to write a “Spring Will Return” post, but their timing could not have been more perfect.

Have you also succumbed to Spring Fever? What are your signs of spring that fill you with joy? Let’s all share them here so we can all be cheering when we see the signs of spring together… those signs of spring should arrive just after this – hopefully last – snowstorm.