Happy New Year!

Yesterday, while taking advantage of the first fair weather day of 2026 where I live, I was outside trimming my roses when I noticed my first snowdrop of the year had opened.

Spring at last!

The timing was fitting because I consider March 1 to be the first day of the new year. Early Romans, who created the calendar that serves the basis for what we use today, agreed with me. With March as the first month, September, October, November, and December slot in as their Latin prefixes (sept is eight, oct is eight, nov is nine, dec is ten) intended. The calendar was a bit chaotic as the days that make up January and February existed but were classed as generalized “winter” and not counted. Then some Roman emperor came along and jammed these two months, named for gods, at the end of the year. More confusion reigned as some folks recognized the winter months as the start of the year, while others continued to use March.

Julius Caesar put an end to this by formalizing January 1 as the beginning of the year. I, frankly, think this was a mistake because nothing new happens on January 1st. I could accept what is currently Dec. 21, the winter solstice, as the first day of the year, but not January 1, a completely arbitrary day during the darkest and coldest time in the northern hemisphere.

Thus, to me, March 1 is the start of the year. While March is unpredictable with weather, it’s generally around the time winter recedes enough for the ground to thaw and birds to return. It’s the time when you start summer seeds indoors and when you can sow certain seeds outdoors in the unfrozen soil.

I don’t celebrate per se, but I did get outside yesterday to do some preliminary yard cleanup. I typically leave my leaves longer, but one of my beds containing an enormous quantity of bulbs needed wood chips and it’s far easier to spread them before the bulbs awaken. I also had to move some of the leaves at the base of the roses for their much-needed annual haircut.

It’s already colder again, and snow is on the forecast for this week, but the one day outdoors has tremendously improved my mental state. I’ve shaken off some of the winter lethargy and am ready to start anew – a perfect attitude for the new year.