March, Coming In Like A Lion For Sure!

March, is coming in like a lion for sure in most parts of the country…and let’s hope he goes out like a lamb.

(However, here in Florida…we are having a beautiful, calm 70 degree day.)

March is definitely a “he” don’t ya think?  Even his name is associated with marching or walking in a military manner with a regular measured tread. 

My dear readers, this is the third in my series of the months of the year. If you missed Miss January, please click here or Miss February, click here.

 

Mr. March likes to break all the rules….he can lull you into thinking it is an early Spring with warm, sunny days giving way to the little purple crocus and bright yellow daffodils awakening in the garden.

But wait!

He might be trying to trick you into believing warmer weather is on the way.  

Remember Charles Dickens line from “Great Expectations” describing a day in March?

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”

Mr. March has been known to change overnight as he turns just as quickly on those premature blooms by sending cold, icy temperatures to let you know that, yes, HE is in charge, and don’t you forget it. 

He usually blusters in with gusts of wind, which spawn tornadoes and other ill weather, and this year was no different. 

And yet, he can show us uplifting signs of Spring and allow us to toss off heavy coats replacing them with light jackets.

He gives us the desire to walk our gardens, our senses noting the earthy smell of a promising Spring as it permeates the air, confirmed by the texture of the rich, moist soil sliding through our fingers as we tend or plant tender seeds.

Mr. March keeps us guessing, that is for sure.

Let’s examine the history of Mr. March.

As I mentioned in Miss January and Miss February’s posts….Originally, the Roman Calendar year started on 1 March and consisted of only 304 days or 10 months. The name of March comes from the Latin Martius. It was named for Mars, the Roman god of war who was also regarded as a guardian of agriculture and an ancestor of the Roman people through his sons Romulus and Remus. His month Martius was the beginning of the season for both farming and warfare, and festivals held in his honor during the month were mirrored by other harvest festivals in October, when the season for these activities came to a close. 

The birthstone for Mr. March is the aquamarine or bloodstone. I love the beautiful Aquamarine. Most people choose the pretty aqua gem, but the dark green bloodstone dotted with flecks of red are also popular.

William Wordsworth penned a lovely poem dedicated to the flowers of Mr. March.

Alas, Mr. March has the hardy but delicate, pretty yellow Spring flower, the daffodil! One of my favorite flowers.

The Daffodil, is also known as the Buttercup, the Jonquil…..and the Narcissus!

Narcissus! A particular telling name, isn’t it?  

Hmmmmm…interesting. we all know that Narcissus is the origin of the term narcissism, a fixation with oneself and one’s physical appearance and/or public perception.

Ok, so Mr. March breaks all the rules and can be very unpredictable and he is kinda stuck on himself. 

There is really nothing wrong with that is there?

We may have to bring out the sheets in the crisp, cool evenings to cover our beds of early blooming flowers, but what a welcome sight they are to mark the ending of cold, slushy snow and the fresh beginning of Spring! 

Ahhhhhh, So, I would like to close this post on Mr. March by a poem written by a woman, Emily Dickinson, who I believe describes the necessary transition of the season.

Definition of March

A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period.
When March is scarcely here

A color stands abroad
On solitary hills
That science cannot overtake,
But human nature feels.

It waits upon the lawn;
It shows the furthest tree
Upon the furthest slope we know;
It almost speaks to me.

Then, as horizons step,
Or noons report away,
Without the formula of sound,
It passes, and we stay:

A quality of loss
Affecting our content,
As trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a sacrament.

Oh, I am sure you noticed the pink blossoms placed carefully on Mr. Masculinity’s month of March.

I can’t help it, I love the juxtaposition. 🙂

Have a great and Blessed Day!

AND Thanks for your comments~ they make my day 🙂