Such a Perfect Day

When spring shows up in the Great White North, everyone pays attention. The parks are full, the sidewalks are crowded, the sandals come out of storage and everyone is smiling. On early spring days, even I have been known to grace a complete stranger with a smile – that’s the power of warmth after 6 months of chill. Tuesday was such a day - a sunny high of 26 degrees (Celsius and that’s a beautiful thing) in a week of rain and cold. Without debate or even a hint of remorse over all the work we had to do, Mr. T. and I decided to take the day off and bask in the glory of the first truly warm day of the year.

Tuesday morning rose with sunshine and a lovely breeze. We took our cups of coffee outside and sat sipping the warmth of the beverage as the sun gradually heated our deck. We live on one of Toronto’s busiest streets. Restaurants and shops surround us, and stepping out our front door means stepping into the thick of city life. In contrast, we are incredibly privileged to have the best back deck ever. The best. The second-story deck stretches the entire width of the apartment, spanning both the kitchen and living room, and is almost as wide as it is long. It looks out onto a parking lot and an infrequently used back lane. Along one side is a tall wooden fence, which separates us from our next-door neighbours. Along the other end is a six-story building with no windows facing us, just an endless stretch of light gray concrete blocks. While a wide expanse of concrete blocks might not sound great, they afford us more privacy than anything else could. In addition, two huge sumac trees have grown alongside the building and stretch lazily across our staircase. When the leaves come out, they provide an extra level of privacy, so that seated at our patio table we are invisible to passersby.

We had a lot to do to get the deck back up to standard after having abandoned it for the winter months. Some of our deck-orations had suffered from the winds of winter and had to be replaced. Our propane tank was empty and we needed to rustle up a barbecue worthy meal. However, the warmth of the day and the prospect of not having to wear socks, made all of our errands that much more pleasant. We headed out into the world and got all the supplies we needed. New propane tank, new barbecue mat, new cooking utensils and, of course, beer. As two former vegetarians, we stood at the meat counter and debated whether or not we should give steak a try. After long deliberations and debate, we decided to throw caution to the wind and picked up two strip loin steaks that looked lean and fresh. We also added a wide variety of veggies for grilling as a nod to our former selves.

By 4 PM, we were back outside, Stella Artois in hand, grooving to summer tunes with a plan to move as little as possible until it was time for bed. We talked, we laughed, we barbecued, we ate (and looked back on our vegetarian days with wonder and curiosity – what, exactly, had we been thinking), we drank, and we added and removed sweaters according to the breeze. The feelings of summer overwhelmed us. That feeling that time won’t end, that the sun won’t go down and that you won’t have to go back to school for ages. We knew the next day would bring cooler temperatures, rain and the impossibility of eating outside, but we repressed that knowledge and thrilled in the moment.

While the rest of the week has proved disappointingly cold, Tuesday was a sneak preview to the months ahead of us. We’ve got the propane, we’ve got the right attitude, and all we need is more sun. Come on sun. We’ve got some grilling to do and we are waiting for you!