Springtime in Perrysburg

The calendar announced the arrival of spring on March 20th, but this desert native isn’t so sure that Perrysburg got the message. When I lived in Arizona, I marked the arrival of spring by turning on the air conditioning and packing up my jeans. In Perrysburg, spring still looks and feels an awful lot like winter. There are signs that give me hope though. Here is my top ten list of signs that prove spring is really here:

10. Road kill

In these parts, animals hibernate during the chilly months. I guess the critters must have “burrow fever” because they are out and on the road. The incidence of road kill has spiked dramatically.

9. Bugs

I found a big black spider in my bath tub this morning. I was so excited to see him that I spared his life. Heaven only knows where he is now. If spiders think it’s safe to come out, warmer days must be in store.

8. Legs

Someone wore shorts to my step class on Saturday! It was the first time I’d seen the bare legs of another in quite awhile. A guess it feels warmer to the more “seasoned” residents of this town. You won’t see me sporting that look anytime soon though! It would be hazardous to others to display my pasty white skin at this point.

7. Ice Cream

Mr. Freeze is open. This town hangout is already packing ‘em in, so we can all pack it on in time for swimsuit season. Never mind the sleet and wind. Spring is here and the folks gotta have their Buckeye Sundaes!

6. Pups

The pooches of Perrysburg are giddy because they own the roads again. Dogs of all kinds can be seen dragging their owners around town. Our recently shorn Shelby has stopped her shivering too. Pretty soon she’ll be ready to ditch her turtle neck sweater.

5. Kites

There is a devoted group of extreme kite enthusiasts that gets together on the weekends to fly. They light up the night sky. It is a welcome change from snow flurries.

4. Mud

Normally I wouldn’t be so excited about mud, but in this case I can see it as a glass half full sorta thing. Mud means thawing ice and rain. It’ll be a beautiful, green summer because of all that mushy gushy mud!

3. Neighbors

It turns out that other people actually live in this neighborhood! I’ve seen them with my own eyes! Last week the kids and I took the bikes out on a ride. Just as we arrived back home, a minivan pulled up alongside us. The driver rolled down her window and said, “Hello. You must be new to the neighborhood. When did you move in?” Ummm…we’ve been here 9 months people! Get out of your house once in awhile. Yeesh!

2. Bikinis

I always thought it was weird that Arizona department stores would try to sell us fall sweaters when the temperatures still hovered around 100 degrees. It’s just as strange to see bikinis on sale in Perrysburg.

1. Change

After so many months of waiting, we’re now heading full speed down a new path. We have so many changes flying at us so fast. Today we wrote an offer on a new house. The home sits on a street aptly named Spring Trace. Isn’t that fitting? I’m praying that our offer is accepted. What a joy it will be to own a home that doesn't need to be updated! It's not quite finished yet, but it's close. More pictures will follow if we get a contract on it.