Craving Spring
I have crazy Spring fever! New Hampshire takes forever to thaw out so I'm not inspired by the weather lately, it's been a real downer. Perhaps in your part of the world you are already seeing signs of Spring but not here. Poor me. It has everything to do with my childhood because I grew up in low country South Carolina and find winters in New England particularly hard to deal with. I thought it would get better the longer I lived here but sadly it seems to get worse. Winters in New Hampshire begin beautifully, almost poetic... the first snow, fantastic snow angels are made, photos are taken of red barns with fresh glistening powder on rooftops. Then the snow turns to ice followed by (or along with) dark gray slush. Daily vacuuming and mopping is the norm. Hours or even days when the power is out or we cannot leave due to the ice rink that is our driveway. The farms that I love to shop, the ones with the finches and peonies and fresh produce, are closed for the season. Life takes a much needed pause at first, which is wonderful post holidays, but then the pause slips into a deep sleep, then a coma. I love New England but what's a girl to do?
To lift the mood I have all sorts of tricks I play on myself in order to "deal" (yes, I just used air quotes), things that I have to practice regularly in order to avoid turning into a bitter lump of depression. I buy flowers weekly, mostly from stores like Trader Joe's but occasionally I'll order them from my florist friend who frequents the Boston flower markets and brings me the most delightful bunches at wholesale. Over the weekend I ordered flowers from Martha Stewart online because I had a coupon and felt like celebrating my new writing assignment. They'll be delivered tomorrow so expect a few review of Martha's flowers to follow on Wednesday!
To further inspire me, I sometimes hit local shops that energize like privately owned stores and of course J Crew and Anthropologie, which I hit this weekend because it just feels good to see Spring merchandise and displays. I hung out for an hour at Winston's this weekend to enjoy the plants and flowers, though I cannot imagine paying $60 for a tiny bouquet of roses I still appreciate such a beautiful store and the gorgeous colors and fragrances there. It's such an escape! A new CD also always helps, or I pull out some old tunes and make a new playlist on iTunes that energizes me. Hitting the gym also helps, something I've become more regular at thanks to the Creative Series I'm writing on Thursdays. I've been doing a lot writing, researching, and checking off tasks from my must do list so I do feel like this Winter has been very productive but goodness do I ever need a little sunshine, a walk on the beach, a few chirping birds! Until I can hop in the car with my camera and head to the shore, I'm enjoying a virtual Spring from pretty photos online that give me a little brain boost, from the blogs that I read to the websites that I find of professional photographers who work for some of my favorite magazines.
Speaking of, and in case you missed her link in my previous post, I thought I'd quickly highlight the work of photographer Debi Treloar. She gives me my virtual Spring today. I've mentioned her before but you really should visit her online portfolio for beautiful afternoon eye candy! Eye candy isn't all about looking at something with desire or to simply feed the senses, it's also a great way to escape and create an alternate reality for yourself that you can for just a moment pretend that exists in your own world like a warm sunny day, an outdoor party with friends, a fresh picked bouquet from the backyard.
When winter starts to weigh you down, what do you do to cope?
(photography by debi treloar)