Tala awoke to the sound of birds singing in the trees. She got up and opened her window all the way. Morning sun dappled the distant mountains. A robin flitted from branch to branch in a nearby maple tree. Blue and purple crocuses dotted the lawn and near the fence, bright yellow daffodils bloomed.  Tala took a deep breath of spring sweet air and smiled. Nothing made her heart happier than spring.

Tala skipped down the long driveway to the bus stop with her brother, Ben. She loved wearing a light jacket instead of a wool coat. She didn’t have to worry about gloves or a hat. No more snow boots! Her sneakers felt almost as good as bare feet.  She hummed a song.

“What are you so happy about?” grumbled Ben.

“It’s spring!  Sunshine, flowers!”

“Yeah, and cutting grass. Allergies.”

Tala frowned. Didn’t everybody love spring? Maybe not.

When she got to school, Mr. Jenkins the janitor stood by the front door. “Wipe your feet, please!” he told the children. “Ugh, spring mud!”

“Hmm,” Tala thought. “Maybe some people really don’t like spring.”

For the next few days, Tala listened for complaints about spring and she heard plenty of them.  “No more snowmobiling!”  “Black flies will be back soon!”  “Too much rain.” “Spring cleaning is the worst!” “You never know what to wear, the weather changes so much.”  

Some people wanted to skip spring and get straight to summer vacation, hot sun and swimming in the lake. Other people wanted to stick to a hot chocolate winter. A few others opted for autumn’s colorful leaves and apple festivals. Tala liked summer, fall and winter too, but it seemed like people spent a lot of time wishing for the season that had just passed or one that wasn’t here yet instead of enjoying what was right in front of them.

“Weather alert!” the TV blared at supper time. A slim woman stood in front of a weather map on the television news. “Winter returns tomorrow in an Arctic blast bringing heavy snow beginning tomorrow afternoon. Expect accumulations of 8-12 inches, more in the mountains.”

“Snow in April?” the newscaster said.

“April is full of surprises,” said the woman.

Tala rode the bus to school that morning and listened to grumbling. “Coach cancelled this afternoon’s baseball practice because of the snow!” “ I’m tired of shoveling snow.” “This winter’s been too long.” 

Mr. Jenkins was salting the sidewalks as Tala walked in. “I’m tired of winter!” he exclaimed.

Tala was surprised to hear the same people who complained about spring rains and mud, bugs and allergies, spring cleaning and weeds now complaining about wearing snow boots in April and having to clear snow one more time. The same people who wanted to skip spring and jump right into summer were begging for spring to come back. Even the people who liked snow admitted they were ready for a change.

Tala smiled as she watched the snow fall. It glittered and covered the greening grass. The snow wouldn’t last. It was April, after all, and in a day or two, more daffodils would bloom and the tulips would begin to pop up. She was almost certain, as soon as the snow disappeared, people would again complain about cutting grass and black flies and that when summer arrived, a lot of people were going to say it was too hot and wish for a different season.