Sunday, February 12, 2006

A Perfect Spring Day

My writing assignment for today is:
Describe the perfect spring day and activities done that day.

The question is, do I describe a perfect alpine spring day, where the air is still cold enough to numb your nose, but you go coatless anyway because it feels so darn good to see the sunshine.
Or, the perfect desert spring day, when prickly pear start to bloom and lizards (and Dixie College co-eds) can be seen sunning themselves on the red rocks.
The difference between the two, besides about four months, is really negligible compared to the universal feeling of being in a fresh world were all things are new. All life is full of possibilities, hope and growth abound.
I’ll start with the perfect spring day in St. George. Where by some miracle I am not suffering from an allergic reaction to Mulberries. The sky is an impossible blue, as it usually is in southern Utah. The air is warm, without the wilting heat of summer, it’s the middle of the week so the plethora of spring visitors from northern Utah are still slogging through snow and not clogging the Boulevard.
Flowers are blooming, the grass is green, and the air smells clean.
On this perfect spring day, by some miracle, I am able to take my family to the St. George Art’s festival in the morning without fighting crowds. Bands are playing cheerful music, wind toys hung from the eves of booths dance and swing in the breeze, spreading flashes of light and color.
I am relaxed, my husband and children are happy. The air smells of Navajo tacos and kettle corn. After viewing the art, we buy a lunch and settle down on a spot of grass to eat and people watch.
Or maybe it is a gardening day. We start by taking the children to the nursery where we are given little red wagons to use as shopping carts. We wander around the flowers and trees, studying plants. The children stop and play in a fountain where goldfish swim lazily around lily pads, and we dream about one day having a pond in our own yard.
I suspect the dream is better than the actual pond, because in the dream the fish don’t die and we don’t have to keep the pump running.
We pick out a few flowers, probably pansies, and take them home to plant them in our tiny backyard plot. Logan works very hard, cleaning up his spot, planting the flowers, tending to them. Adam loses interest almost immediately and starts whacking things with a stick.

In the alpine scenario we are experiencing a spring day in Afton with my family. It is Easter, and the houses are practically bulging with children. We go for a walk in the canyon, letting the children run ahead and explore the path.
Later in the day we fill plastic eggs with candy and hide them in the back yard, letting the children loose to hunt for the goodies. Everyone gets plenty; there is no crying, no sadness, just joy.
At the end of the day our children collapse in bed, smiles and the faintest chocolate smears on their faces. We gather together, eating and laughing and talking into the wee hours, just enjoying each other’s company.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

It would be nice on the Alpine ideal expecally the non-fighting part.

Anonymous said...

You forgot to mention none of the adults is tired, overworked, or sick.

Anonymous said...

I love the image of the houses bulging with children on Easter. Lovely!

corinne5 said...

oh alleen that sounds so great!

corinnexxx

Anonymous said...

Spring all ready. Its a blizzard outside at the moment!