Granite Staters love winter, to be sure. Heck, we love all four of our seasons and the chance to experience each is one of the many ingredients that make NH such a wonderful place to live. But, make no mistake, by the time spring peeks above the horizon, we are more than ready to trade skis and poles for golf clubs; parkas for raincoats; and snowflakes for dandelions.
Granite Staters greet the first signs of spring with the enthusiasm of a fresh-faced Little Leaguer racing around the diamond. It’s an eagerness you witness at the school bus stop, or the grocery store, where child and adult alike rejoice in short-legged pants as soon as the mercury sniffs 50 degrees.
Spring is the season of growth, and in N.H., spring is also a reminder that some of life’s sweetest pleasures are within our reach.
Perhaps nothing is more delectable than pure N.H. maple syrup. This month we tempt your taste buds with a few sweet offerings of our own in Becky Rule’s unique Yankee humor “A Sticky Situation” (pg. 10) and “Our New Hampshire” (pg. 15).
Though spring officially starts in March, it is the month of April when our landscape’s white blankets truly yield to greening fields. And, this month’s cover photo from Bill Hebden offers a warm, lazy look at the season and more.
April is also recognized as national poetry month, and poetry has always been a mainstay of this publication. In this issue we tout the talents of two new contributors to our magazine. Check out “Early Spring” and “petals” (pgs. 12-13) in “Your Troubadour.” We also issue a reminder of our 4th grade student poetry challenge. This is an opportunity for 4th graders across the state to submit to us a poem, of 20 lines or less, that speaks to the uniqueness either of NH or their home communities. Poems can, for example, reflect on nature, people, the seasons and the distinctive beauty of small-town life.
We look forward to publishing the most imaginative and inspiring verses in the June issue of the Troubadour—right about the same time our newfound spring turns into summer.
