November 5, 2014; the day our daughter Sarah turned 15 and not so coincidentally began driving a car. Her involvement in academic, athletic, and music activities didn’t leave her much time to practice driving. In late November, before the roads became snow covered, she and I started doing a bit of driving on Sunday mornings. Yes, we should have been at church with the rest of the family, but we decided to spend some time together doing what she was so desperate to do, drive a car. We decided to venture in Sun City. We drove into the community about 8 a.m. on several Sunday mornings. I would drive her to a neighborhood that I was pretty confident would have very little traffic and then she would drive the car for about an hour or so. Those hours seemed so terribly long at the time. As she was learning how to pull over to the side of the road, I would be practicing some of the same relaxation techniques I used when she was being born. As she was navigating the streets, although I was keenly aware of what she was doing, I would also be looking at the beautiful Christmas decorations. Many mailboxes were decorated, some yards had holiday displays set out and the front doors were often beautifully adorned with wreaths.
This spring, while I drive around, I often think of that time spent with her. Someone once pointed out that realistically, we will probably experience spring at the most 100 times in our lifetime. Just as my time with Sarah learning how to drive while enjoying the holiday decorations seemed like it took forever, it was really only a few precious hours. Spring is here. Please, enjoy it. Anne Bradstreet once said, “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”
Part of enjoying spring is observing the birds. The McHenry County Conservation District will be hosting a Migratory Bird Day. It is Saturday, April 25 from 8-9:30 a.m. at the Glacial Park Lost Valley Visitor Center in Ringwood. For more information please 815-678-4532 or go to their website www.mccdistrict.org/
Another enjoyable event is being organized in Kane County. The Kane County Forest Preserve will be hosting a Spring Wildflowers Garden Walk. You can enjoy a naturalist-guided walk to learn the names and other fun facts about native wildflowers. Advance registration is required. You can email programs@kaneforest.com or call 630-444-3190 to register. This walk is Saturday, May 9 from 10-11 a.m. at Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve at 41W600 Hughes Rd in Elburn. This is a free event.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a garden center and landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
