It has been cold here. Very cold. Overnight lows temperatures have been zero or below for weeks. Extreme cold temperatures are a factor in the creation of temperature inversions that trap cold air and pollutants in valley locations. That has been the case here. Our normally clear air is clouded and it seems a bit dreary. I have been thinking recently of Spring and how far away it seems to be.
Walking through the front door of Western Garden Center was like walking from winter into spring. We were instantly greeted by the smell of living soil and the sound of chirping birds. It was extra warm inside to foster plant growth, and it seemed clearer and lighter than outside. We slowly made our way through row after row of potted plants. We admired and pictured the different ones inside our own house before finally choosing the one or two we would take home.
At the back of the store was our favorite and last stop: the pet department. The simple melody of the male zebra finch is surprisingly beautiful. The female’s song is a simple chirp, much like a sparrow. When the two are combined and then compound by ten or twelve pairs, a beautiful chorus is born. We always lingered near the birds to savor the sound that, for us, came to represent a promise of spring.
On our first winter visit to Western Garden Center we bought a pair of zebra finches and we housed them in an antique cage we found in my mother-in-law’s garage. Those tiny, happy birds became a fixture in our household and for more than twenty years our home was warmed by their cheerful singing.