Matters

It’s been cold. An engaged audience might ask: How cold was it? A type of punchline: It was so cold the ice was complaining about the temperature! The reality is more mundane. It was so cold they cancelled school. This has happened before. I grew up in Texas, a geography not known for cold temperatures. One winter day was so cold that they cancelled schools. They were concerned the HVAC wasn’t up to the job. No school administrator wants to take in warm bodied children and spit them out blue. It was 29 degrees Fahrenheit.

In northern Minnesota, spring doesn’t truly arrive until May. Nevertheless I begin to feel excitement building in March for the warm months, flowers, and greenery ahead. The Dogwood contrasts a bright red against the white snow and brown earth. The Birch and Poplars begin to brighten their branch tips with light greens and yellows. These subtle shifts are difficult to notice immediately, but at some point the eyes catch the shift and you are left with hope for spring and awe at the process of the awakening of the earth.

For the non-local folk, this column has nothing to do with romance or faking romance except for the location’s possibilities.