🌞 Look, all of a sudden, I’m well over the recommended number of minutes of intense exercise.
🌞 On the not-so-good side of things, it’s tick season. I got my first tick bite of the season. It was a tick on my shoulder at the farm and I discovered it a few days later. Luckily, pharmacists can now dispense antibiotics, and the campus pharmacy is close at hand.
🌞 It’s also skunk season. So far no bad dog-skunk interactions.
🌞 Thunderstorms. Another of Cheddar’s not fave things. The weather is wild and dramatic. Spring storms are here.
I love winter. I love winter sports. I love the feeling of cold air on my face (and the excuse to cuddle up in something warm when I go inside).
But this winter has felt unusually long and hard. My first snow image is from November 9. I took another on March 28, following a brief squall.
Top: a snow-covered bike path from early November 2025. Bottom: a snow-covered road and trees from late March 2026.
All the jokes about second winter, false spring, and mud season aren’t landing this year because it hasn’t been warm enough to claim that anything was close to spring.
But now it’s April 1st. Surely things will get warmer? My snowdrops are starting to bloom, and I did manage a brief walk with my grandson on Sunday, so maybe. Or am I living with false hopes because it is April 1st and Mother Nature is about to play another winter trick on me?
The only way to know for sure is to get out for a walk or bike ride. Assuming it gets warm enough for the freezing rain to stop, of course.
Whatever the weather outside, it’s definitely spring here in Ontario. And for those of us with summer fitness ambitions, it’s time to ramp up our outdoor activity levels. April 1st is kind of the outdoor hiking/biking/running/paddling January 1st, if you know what I mean. There’s no more winter-weather excuses. It’s time to get out there and do your thing.
(Yes, I know Spring Equinox was March 20th, but for me, it’s really April 1st that feels like the first day of spring.)
I’m looking at the calendar and counting down the days until #30DaysOfBiking begins. (I’ve also got my trainer at the ready in case of snow, freezing rain or other forms of wintry mix get in the way of my outdoor riding plans.) See April’s Gonna Be Pure Joy, Baby
I’m also thinking of trying something new for April 1st, adding a second low-stakes fitness intention. I’m calling it the New Path Protocol.
As a cyclist, I am a total creature of habit. I have my “standard” 20km loop I can sneak in before work, my fave weekend 50 km route, my everday “quick” commute, and my scenic “take the long way” route to campus. I worry that I’ve lived here in Guelph for 8 years and there is still a lot of the city and surrounding area I don’t know.
The New Path Protocol is simple: Commit to taking a different route on my bike at least once a week. Choosing a path just to explore on my daily commute is an act of curiosity. Taking a new path might mean finding beautiful gardens on a side street I usually skip, or on the weekend, on my longer rides, it might mean discovering exactly which gravel trail is currently an unridable swamp. I’m in! Either way, it’s about exploration, not about speed or distance. At the start of the cycling season, I think it will feel good to have some low stakes goals. After all, I’m not a cycling beast anymore!
What about you? Are you a creature of habit who takes the same loop every time, or are you ready to join me in getting a little bit lost this April?
It’s spring! Or Fool’s Spring. Or possibly Second Winter, depending on where you live and what the forecast says today. I saw a meme the other day that made me laugh declaring this “wrong coat” season because whatever coat you choose, it’s inevitably wrong. I think I have some coats that are only good for two or three days a year. Blink and you miss them.
I spent my childhood in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and while mostly I’m happy here in Ontario, there are two things I do miss—oceans and spring/fall. Here in Ontario, it seems to go from winter to summer, from freezing to 20 degrees, in a week. The next thing you know, after months of it being too cold, it’s that it’s too hot.
So I try to enjoy the heck out of spring while it’s, all too briefly, here.
So in the spirit of spring I’m choosing optimism — and I’m rounding up some of our posts from the archive to celebrate the season of longer days, outdoor rides, and cautious joy.
Some Past Spring Posts from Fit Is a Feminist Issue
🌸Signs of Spring (Christine, March 2026) — Christine reflects on how March finally lifts the brain fog of February, and finds her favourite sign of spring: noticing it’s become easier to get up and move.
🌸Bring on the Sun! It’s Spring! (Sam, March 2021) — Sam celebrates the return of longer days and the warmth of the sun, and shares her outdoor plans for the season, from cycling trips to sailing.
🌸Can Good Christians Be Cyclists? (Sam, March 2016) — A fun look at the age-old spring dilemma: Sunday morning church or Sunday morning bike ride?
🌸Spring!!! (Guest Post) (Jeanne-Marie, May 2014) — The moment the first patch of grass appears, Jeanne-Marie wants to play every sport — but reflects honestly on the frustrations of gender dynamics in co-ed pick-up soccer.
🌸Welcome to Fool’s Spring! (March 2022) — A love letter to that deceptive warm spell in southern Ontario that hints at spring while snow still lurks. Includes the itch to get back on the bike and outside again after a long pandemic winter.
🌸First Time Riding the Millennium Trail (Sam, March 2021) — Sam and Sarah celebrate the first real day of spring with a gravel ride in Prince Edward County — sunshine, mud, smiles, and a very happy dog.\
🌸Sam and Sarah Are Springing Into Cycling Fitness (April 2018) — Spring riding is complicated — the hills seem steeper, the winds stronger, and the gear never quite where you left it — but the excitement of getting back outside makes it all worthwhile.
🌸#30DaysOfBiking: Kicking Spring Riding Off in Style (March 2016) — Sam takes the pledge to ride every day in April, any distance, any destination. A fun low-barrier challenge to kickstart the outdoor season.
🌸I’m a Fairweather Cyclist and I’m Okay with That (Tracy, April 2014) — A warm, honest post about skipping rainy commutes without guilt — and why being selective about conditions doesn’t make you any less of a cyclist.
🌸I Had a Plan — Where Did It Go? (May 2022) — A relatable reflection on losing momentum and having to rebuild it from scratch, starting with one small thing: a daily dog walk.
🌸The Two-Minute Rule: Start Really, Really Small (Tracy, January 2023) — A gentle push to experiment with starting small, especially for anyone with a history of jumping in with both feet and then hitting a wall before the month is out. Applies just as well to spring restarts as to January resolutions.
Early spring flowers are among my favorite things. Daffodills, fortsythia, crocuses– they are all happy harbingers of spring, even when the rest of nature is not budging (yet). Yesterday I enjoyed another early spring floral display– an orchid show at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, about an hour from my house.
This botanical garden is set on “200 acres of conservatories, formal and naturalistic gardens, a café, Garden Shop, walking trails, accessible pathways, and expansive views of the Wachusett Reservoir”, says their website. I’ve been at all times of the year, and there’s always something interesting to learn about local nature and art.
Some friends and I motored out there together and used passes from our local library to get reduced admission— two more fine features of the day.
We spent time both inside and outside, but the main attraction yesterday was the orchids. I love orchids. I grow them in my house, which has bright indirect light that orchids enjoy. And they have flourished for years. Really, it’s not me, it’s them– they seems to like it at my house.
But the orchid display in these conservatories was positively outlandish, in the best possible way. Take a look.
Here are some more.
And these.
And finally, these:
We walked around outside to a newly landscaped garden/children’s play area. My friend Rachel’s daughter Teagan enjoyed the flowers, but she really got into running around with all the kids in the area. We got into watching them.
I bought an orchid to take home with me, and it’s now settling into its new home. On my way back into the house, I stopped to talk with a neighbor about gardening– we are planning a trip a a local nursery together.
Moments of pleasure and respite. Reminders of the promise of a new season, come what may. Connections with friends and neighbors. The glory of nature. These are simple and necessary joys, open to all of us.
Hi folks– as I write this post, it’s 37F/2.7C at home near Boston. But I’m not there. I’m in South Carolina, visiting my sister and her kids and my mom and other relatives for a week. And there (well, here from my perspective), the temperature is much nicer.
Today’s temperature is 76F/24.4C and sunny. Oh my.
Yes, there is some rain in the forecast for the coming week, but also some nice days in the upper 70s. I’ve lived in New England for 40 years now, but the southern-born parts of me still grouse when it’s March and cold and damp, with nothing blooming or green (yet). Of course the spring, when it does come, is glorious. And the summers– my, oh my!
But it’s not summer yet. It’s early March. So I scampered south to get an early preview of what spring might be in a couple of months. And I wasn’t disappointed. The sun is out, along with all kinds of people enjoying what the day has to offer. And what it offered us was a local art/craft festival.
Perfect! I love me some local outdoor arts/crafts festivals. They’ve got everything you need: dogs, kids, food trucks, local musicians and DJs, and artistic creations ranging from pottery vases to Robot acrylics to finely decorated miscellaneous objects. To wit:
Very detailed painting inside gilt oyster shells. Just because.My favorite decorated oyster shell, among many at the festival.
Because I was so caught up in the art and the scene and the people, I didn’t take photos of the sunny day. But you can see the light in the photos. And this was the day before the time change!
Dream girls in the sunshine.Green girl is over it.Whimsical pop culture on canvas
I love the creative courage it takes to listen to yourself, do what moves you, and then put it out there on the street for others to see and buy. Several of the artists we met talked fondly about finding new homes for their pieces. I felt their sincerity, and appreciated the marketing approach.
One of my favorite pieces of the day was this pottery creation– a vase fail, but also a stand against oppressive practicality.
A petite green pottery tower with circular holes in the side. Clearly not water-safe, but very fun.
Just walking around the streets in this funky neighborhood of Columbia, SC with loads of other people was a tonic for winter weariness. And I got in a lot of steps, too!
Plans for the week with fambly include more activities in the spirit of exploring spring– some coastal forays, walking in my favorite cypress swamp park, floral and sculpture hunting in a lovely botanical garden, and renting bikes for a day if the weather cooperates. I think/hope I’ll be fortified to take on the rest of March and also April in New England, which we have to get through in order to make it to May, glorious May.
Readers, how are you managing March? Is it easy-breezy where you live? Are you still hunkering down in your wool sweaters, eating squash-and-kale soup by the hearth? Let me know what you’re up to.
Right now, I’m hoping I can use some of the same kind of blog magic and invoke some Springishness.
This is not the face of someone frolicking in Spring weather. This is the face of someone determined to be outside even if it is kind of dreary. Image description: a selfie of slightly smirky me wearing my husband’s orange jacket (with the hood up) and my green-framed glasses. It’s a dull day and there are evergreens and leafless deciduous trees behind me.
I’m ready for some green leaves and for more flowers and for some consistent warmth.
I want to do some yoga on my patio.
I want to get my garden sorted.
I want to have more reasons to get outside (Ones that aren’t just ’I’d feel better if I went outside for a while.’)
I mean, I know that I live on a rocky island in the Atlantic Ocean so I don’t want to set my hopes too high but even 5 degrees warmer (on a regular basis) and a few sunny days in a row would be great.
If you happen to be a weather witch or am ancient weather goddess, could you conjure up some friendly weather for me? I’ll bake you some great cookies and/or draw you something fun in return.
In the meantime, I’ll keep pretending it’s Spring – opening my office window, standing on the patio whenever possible, drinking tea on my front step, taking longer walks – and perhaps I’ll trick the sun into coming out for a while.
Khalee is unfazed by the weather, she just wants to sniff things and make sure other dogs aren’t walking on ‘her’ path. (My attempts to convince her that it is a public path have been for nought.) image description: a photo of Khalee, a medium sized dog with light brown fur standing on a wet asphalt path and looking alert.
It’s been a rainy April this year, which is in keeping both with New England weather and proverb wisdom. Which means, according to both the proverb and local patterns, that May flowers are on their way.
I wish this yay! sign were on my street. Thanks, Samuel Regan Asante for the pic (from Unsplash).
So, I’ve made some flower plans. One of my favorite spring/summer activities is visiting botanical gardens at various times of spring-summer-early fall.
As a warm-up (as it were), the Massachusetts Horticultural Society is hosting Tulip Mania, which is predicted to reach maximum frenzy this week. I’m planning on going before the weekend tulip crowd hits.
You can look, but you can’t pick. However, they’ll sell you some cut tulips, which I will certainly be doing.
Once May is properly in place, it’s time for a trip to the Blithewold gardens in Bristol, Rhode Island. There’s a big house there, too, but I’m all about the gorgeous flowers, green plants and artistic landscaping, complete with huuuuge pottery vessels made by this guy. You can see what I mean below:
A garden path at Blithewold with a 5-foot-tall pottery vessel standing alongside.
If you’re interested either in more details about this garden or Procter’s pottery in situ, look here at this New York Times article.
I’ve been to Garden in the Woods, not far from my house, in late summer, but never in May. So it’s time to remedy that situation and go. It features native New England plants in 45 acres of woodland. If you can’t make it in person, here’s where to go for a virtual tour. And here’s a sample of what I’ll be experiencing in person.
Azaleas in bloom on a stony and green path in the woods.
While doing some low-key sleuthing for this post, I discovered that there’s such a thing as garden tourism. There’s even a guidebook on it for those headed to New England. Who knew?
According to these sources, the mothership of botanical gardens is Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. It is vast and complex and beautiful and exerts its own garden-gravitational force on all who venture near it. I’m planning on venturing there while on my way to South Carolina to visit family in June. I hope I don’t disappear into their rich and multicolored abundance of flora. If you don’t hear from me, at least you’ll know where to look.
Readers, are any of you botanical garden fans? What are some of your favorites? I’d love to put some of them on my to-visit list. And in return, I’ll post pictures from my various flowery visits this spring and summer.
I entered my 100th workout in the 224 workout in 2024 group. Nothing exciting–personal training–but I did it. I showed up (even though we woke up less than 45 minutes before training started and we had to drive there!) Today was deadbugs, and steps ups, and face pulls, and kettlebell deadlifting, and push ups and squats. And more, but I don’t remember. It’s a bit of a blur but a great way to start the day.
Thing 2
You might not know it, but it’s the first day is spring. You might think that means this,
