Upon waking up to greet the first day of spring, I’ll admit I was moderately disappointed. The soft drizzling aftermath characteristic of earlier fierce storms clouded the sun’s rays that I had expected to find glaring through my window shades. It was cold, but not cruelly so, and the sodden earth spoke of prolonged showers all through the night. This diverged greatly from the two days preceding. Springtime was typified by these last two days: cloudless skies, comfortable temperatures striving to reach 70s, a fluctuating breeze never strong enough to scatter paper or tousle your hair…perfection. Thankfully I was able to exploit such charming weather with an equally charming companion. We spent the afternoon at my favorite small park near the apartment, Lichgate Park. The first time I was brought to this park, I nearly lost myself in its enchantment. It features a magnificent live oak tree, a Tudor-style cottage, and an active garden of various flowers and vegetables.
My companion and I spread a blanket under the oak and enjoyed plethora of perfect picnic provisions. Our lunch consisted of chickpea wraps (chickpeas, tabbouleh, spring greens, carrots, avocado, and a homemade tahini dressing), apples, and thyme and poppy seed crackers. We concluded our meal with some fantasy novels, for which our physical setting was superb. I can wait patiently for spring, especially when Florida winters are punctuated with many of the aforementioned days. Yes, I can wait.
