By Lina Younes
Truth be told, this winter season has been relatively mild around the greater Washington, DC area and across the United States. So when the famous Pennsylvania groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow forecasting six more weeks of winter, my first thought was: “what winter?”
Taking advantage of the beautiful weather this past weekend, my husband, our youngest daughter and I decided to take a walk around Allen Pond, Maryland near our home. Although it was mid-February, it felt more like early April. In fact, during our walk, we were seeing early signs of spring all around us. There were robin red-breasts hopping on the grass. Several shrubs were showing some signs of budding. The leaves from bulbs were pushing up through the ground making way for an early appearance. The fresh scents and lively sounds of spring were already in the air.
We were also taking advantage of that lovely afternoon to get out and move. While the short winter days seem to give us the perfect excuse to enjoy more sedentary activities, the change in seasons should be an ideal opportunity to get out of our self-imposed hibernation. And what better way of fulfilling a resolution of becoming healthier in 2012 than taking a long nice walk with the family in the park on a beautiful day?
So, do you have any plans for the spring months? Looking forward to gardening? Planning any greenscaping techniques? Please share your thoughts with us. As always, we’re interested in keeping these greenversations going!
About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and currently serves as EPA’s Multilingual Outreach and Communications Liaison in the Office of External Affairs and Environmental Education. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
