Spring Into Birthday!

Saturday marked not only my birthday, but the end of Standard Time in Europe, which has made the start of my 36th trip around the sun an especially agreeable one! As I begin to write this at 8:00pm local time, the sun is still shining brightly—if a bit long in the shadow—and the birds are still chirping their evensong. The world out here has an amazing spring green to it, punctuated by almond and cherry trees in full bloom. It is paradise. Of course none of this is because of my birthday, but the day felt like it kicked spring off into high gear.

Even though it falls a scant week after the official start of Spring, my birthday has never had the true feel of spring to it. Michigan, of course, is infamous for its April Fool's snow showers, which sometimes come a few days early. To the extent that California experiences spring, it really only bears a very loose resemblance to the timing and archetype of renewed greenery and life we know in the temperate zones. If it rains a lot, California spring can come in February. As for Venezuela or Texas, well...it's just not the same.

While it's true we don't experience the bitter cold and snow of, say, Vermont, winter was a pretty cold affair here in Granada. Not the least reason for this is the lack of proper heating or insulation around these parts. I'm convinced one of the reasons Spaniards can be so dour is the cold winters they spend without central heat. For months, it's felt like my joints haven't truly warmed up. And I only exaggerate very slightly.

Saturday, though, was beautiful. Even the morning clouds couldn't stop the warmth from finally seeping in and making it possible for Amberly to wear sandals and a skirt for the first time this year. We hosted a lovely backyard barbecue with neighbors, friends and friends of friends (without whom it would have been a small party indeed). As usual, there was entirely too much food, but we kept plugging away at it, eating solidly from three until midnight. At times, the table was a cacophony of raucous conversation, Spanish style, and at others an intimate gathering over nursed cocktails. Time stood still for some time that afternoon, the way it does in the midst of good company over good food and drink.

Perhaps the sweetest hour was the last, when everyone but the neighbors had left, and we decided that we were improbably hungry again. Though the charcoal had long died down, it still hid a warm tinfoil wrapping of perfectly steamed veggies which we snacked on while we started another makeshift fire. We shared a few more sausages and skewers, and cozied with our partners while the conversation lilted between us into the cool night.

In a few months, it will be so hot here we won't be able to think, and so bright as to be blinding. For now, though, I am relishing the warmth and light that have come with spring and my birthday.