A day from the 80s - naive essay

The spring brought a lot of excitement, a kind of flutter in the air. Less clothes to carry around, new shoes, the flowers...

The first urban flowers I remember were the Forsythias
http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&handle=NodWag&number=27

Not the most spectacular, but when in out park the bushes turned yellow, it was spring for sure. We always brought back three small flowered branches- and always talked about how it was not allowed to take flowers from the park... yet the flowered branches lighted up the room and the winter had to leave the house.

Spring cleaning meant that is warm enough to take the carpets out and wash the thick window drapes - they would dry and catch the fresh air of the outside in between their fibers. March was tricky and it could always turn a bit colder, so we hunted down the best day for spring cleaning and changed the atmosphere in the house.

The parks were the main attraction. From one day to another the leaves would push through their buds and the flowers would fill the trees. They competed with one another to flower, yet they lasted longer that today, once blossomed...

The sky was clear, and the next destination was the farmers' market. Green onions, red radishes, lettuce and spinach... the market was wet and noisy and brought the smells of the earth into the city. I did not particularly like some of the edible spring signs, but there could be no discussion about it... Even more exotic salads like the ones made from baby daffodil leaves were on the table. Then the new spring potatoes, boiled, salted, prepared with butter and dill. Then the new tomatoes, heavenly with the salted shepherds' cheese, if there was any left from the winter.

The fruits were more like the beginning of the summer.

The sweet smell of linden flowers was the month of May.

The long walks in the warm sun, the feeling of being new altogether, like the entire nature.

The afternoons were not so happy, they reminded us of the winter, still a bit too close. In the house, the rooms were almost in the dark, yet it was light enough for eating... it was a bit cold too, compared with getting out in the sun during the day. the room had an echo.

The ladybugs and another red and black bugs invaded the paths in the park.

It was spring and no one was in a hurry - not even nature.