THE "SECOND SKIN"

This Friday, Spring will officially "arrive".  Hurrah!  The March winds may blow, temperatures may struggle to get above freezing, but soon we'll be engaged in warm weather activities.  K-Lee and I will be able to wander the countryside again, hopefully finding woodcock that have returned to our fields and forests.

Barely acknowledged by anyone, there is another "sign" of Spring in these northern climes. It is our shedding of   a "second skin".  Nature has a way of renewing itself, allowing for growth and health.  Snakes are masters of it.  They shed their skin.  We New Englanders do as well.

When cold winter winds come, folks who spend time outdoors start wearing "long johns" beneath their clothing.  In effect, they are putting on a "second skin" to moderate the effects of winter weather.  They/we wear them all winter long--taking them off only for a washing or a very indoor event.  The "second skin" becomes so intimately comfortable that without them, we secretly loathe to go outside.

"Long johns"  generally come in two styles--either two- piece sets or one-piece "union suits".  They vary in color, and some even have "prints" that make them look more like sportswear.  They come in various fabrics too--cotton, wool, polypropylene, the new space-age fabrics, and the old favorite among the active sportsmen, silk.  I have to confess that I've never owned the more expensive (and warm) silk, but the idea appeals to me.

When Spring is finally upon the wearers, there is a rush of energy to abandon the "long johns".  It is overpowering.  Wearers can no longer stand to have that additional, protective layer on their body.  Involuntarily, they shed their "second skin" and with unfettered abandon, enter into the season of renewal.

How do you know when Spring has really come to New England?  Check out the clotheslines.  If you see "long johns" flying in the breeze, Spring has sprung!