A Typical Orange County Spring

Most folks over the last few weeks, started focusing on getting their yards ready for spring. Last week my wife and I were no exceptions.  We planted a Magnolia tree, worked on our flower beds, set up a couple of new bird feeders and were all set to start a new herb garden. Not so fast!



When we purchased our vegetables and herbs at the garden center, it was a perfect Spring day, sunny, in the mid seventies.  The salesperson who helped us said we might want to wait another week or so to plant them because of frost.  We’re glad we heeded her advice because for the past week, some overnight and early morning temperatures have been hovering around the 32 degree mark.  This is no surprise to those in our area with a green thumb.  When to plant a Spring garden is like playing Russian Roulette, you take your chances.  Some over eager weekend warriors, who start too early, run the risk of losing some of their plants.  Those who wait, lose the opportunity to enjoy the early Spring blooms.

Our local ice cream stand just after sunset

After a long cold winter, besides baseball spring training, one of the official signs that spring is here, is the opening of our local ice cream stand.  It’s the all American signal that warmer days are not far away.  Cold weather or not, if the ice cream stand is open, it’s Spring and Summer’s on deck.  Having that first soft ice cream cone of the season, is our way saying that we don’t care what the temperature is, we are done with winter.  

Headlight and taillight trails from cars at the intersection of Routes 52 & 302 that same evening

So if you planted early this season and sustained some casualties, you can defy the last gasps of the cold weather by putting on your shorts, opening the sunroof and driving to your local ice cream stand to drown your sorrows in an ice cream sundae.