The last anyone had seen the TV remote was a weekend in early January when friends of ours came visiting, and their son was toying with it. I was pretty certain the child had not taken it with him; it would have been extremely embarrassing to ask his parents about the missing object! I hunted for the remote everywhere - under the couches, between bedsheets, in the kitchen shelves and the laundry basket, but it was nowhere to be found.
Until the snow began to melt.Then I found the remote sitting quietly in the backyard, buried under all that snow for three months! I also found socks and my son’s soccer ball, and my favorite coffee mug that I must have forgotten outside. And with that discovery, spring finally arrived for me!
I love the four seasons that Scarsdale has. In each of these, Scarsdale transforms itself - a white wonderland with snow and fairy lights in the winter; lush, wholesome and restful in the summer, and supremely radiant and crisp in autumn. But it is in spring when Scarsdale repairs and renews itself. The sidewalks are clear of snow and ready to be walked on again, potholes are filled in and landscaping vans are parked everywhere. One can hear the birds chirping and see the bugs start to creep out of the woodwork. The bare trees sprout the first tentative buds. The days are longer, the temperatures kinder, the wind less bitter, and the sun shines with a little more cheer. The window displays on the village shops are bright and happy as well!
The Scarsdale seasons are a far cry from the ones in my my erstwhile home. Wikipedia may define them differently, but in Mumbai India, the four ‘seasons’ are as follows - hot and humid, monsoons, not so hot and humid, and moderately hot; the temperatures range from 70 degrees to 90 degrees fahrenheit. I love the monsoons in Mumbai - for three months, it rains almost non-stop; it causes flooding and water-logging, traffic jams and no school days, but Mumbai is at her prettiest and lushest at this time! There is no real need to change one’s wardrobe or house decorations - one can wear shorts and a t-shirt almost all year round, and when it gets a tad cold (at 70 degrees), out come full sleeved t-shirts, jeans and even boots! Houses get a thorough deep-clean during Diwali, one of the major festivals in India; festivals are the times we decorate our homes with flowers and lights. In comparison, the way Scarsdale, its houses and people change their outward appearance with every changing season delights me!
It does seem like Scarsdale has woken up from its long slumber and is springing back to life. Right now, the local markets are full of spring time flowers like pansies, hyacinths, daffodils, tulips, as well as herbs and vegetables that one can plant. The heavenly smells of pumpkin, cinnamon and apple spiced fragrances have made way for fresher smells of the sea and cotton candy; fruity cocktails and passionfruit drinks get preference over pumpkin spiced and gingerbread lattes. Heavy coats and boots have made way for lighter, vibrant colored sweatshirts and tops; the warmer nail colors of maroon, deep blues and purples are being replaced with understated brights and pale pastels. The roads are more crowded - there are convertibles, children on bikes, walkers and runners. The fields are buzzing again with soccer, lacrosse and baseball teams gearing up for games. I may be wrong, but I think people are smiling a lot more as well; perhaps because the wind is no longer bitter, one does not need caps and scarves and can actually pay attention to others!
Soon, there will be complaints of pollen related allergies and long spells of rain. The crickets, chirping in earnest will compete with the noise of the lawnmowers! Soon, we will also moan that the sun is too strong, and wish for some respite from the heat.
But for now, Spring is finally here. After months, I can finally open the windows again, and let cool air come into the house without being frozen. I can forget the winter blues and soak in the Vitamin D. Till the trees get all their leaves back, I can peep into my neighbor’s backyards, salivate at the smell of their barbecues and hope for a piece of the meat! It is time to get a new haircut, donate old clothes and get new ones, get dirt under my fingernails by planting my herb garden, sit outside at one of the village cafe’s for a cup of coffee, decorate my house with daffodils and tulips, try cooking and eating fiddleheads, watch bumblebees in my garden, see the trees bud and get their leafy cover, and to get caught in a spring shower!
And here is a recipe for a spring pie, courtesy Paul F Kortepeter - Enjoy it!
“Would you like some warm Spring pie?
Then, take a cup of clear blue sky.
Stir in buzzes from a bee,
Add the laughter of a tree.
A dash of sunlight should suffice
To give the dew a hint of spice.
Mix with berries, plump and sweet.
Top with fluffy clouds, and eat!”
