Spring is in the Air. Today, Anyway. (And I’m Happy ‘Bout That!)

It has been warm and somewhat sunny here in Columbus, Ohio the past several days. The snow and ice are all gone – for now, anyway. The weather here is rather unpredictable and we can’t rule out another snowstorm before we’re done with winter for the year.

 

Of course, this makes early morning dog walking a conundrum. Before I’m even fully awake, I have to blearily consult my weather app to determine what coat to don.

 

If it’s too thick and heavy I’ll be wiping sweat out of my eyes throughout our entire walk. (And I only have enough hands to hold the dog leash and her poo bag. Just what am I to use to remove the perspiration?)

 

Imagine how tough it is when rain is added to the mix and I have to try carrying an umbrella? Yikes! 

Heyyy…maybe I should get one of those umbrella beanies? Or…maybe not. Those things look a little too dorky even for me. Perhaps I’ll just get soggy.

 

On the other hand, if I’m wearing too light a coat, and it hasn’t warmed up above freezing, I’m shaking and jiving throughout the entire walk. Plus, I pretty much drag Maggie through her walking routine rather than the other way around.

 

As the day progresses, it gets a little easier to figure out what to wear.

 

Yesterday was one of those days.

 

It was sunny and warm and I was – for once – willing to take Maggie on an extra long walk.

 

She was happy. And I was happy.

 

Interestingly, I talked to more neighbors during this one walk than I had all winter.

 

I swear, if I had known that no less than four neighbors were going to buzz down their car windows to chat with me and another three were going to stop me as I passed by their driveways, I would’ve paid a little more attention to hair and makeup.

 

As it was, I hadn’t even washed my face or run a brush through my hair.

 

Fortunately, nobody really cared what my hair looked like or that I hadn’t applied blush or lipstick. Which is a good thing because I find that I'm not fussing with that sort of thing all that much anymore.

 

But what I noticed was that my mood lightened considerably on this walk. I was getting some exercise without shivering in the cold or thinking about the wind chill factor. It was nice to see my neighbors again.

 

And the sunshine was completely welcomed as I soaked up a little Vitamin D.

 

Even Maggie was relatively well-behaved and didn’t bark ferociously at the lady who walks her three tiny dogs in a baby carriage. Instead, the dogs in the carriage were yipping ferociously at us. Points for Maggie for being the better-behaved dog. (And she doesn’t often earn those “Good Dog!” points.)

 

Later when I was at the grocery store, my mood was still light and happy – and I treated myself to some spring-y posies to keep that good feeling going.

 

I can’t wait for spring! How ‘bout you?