Ah, it’s March … the most temperamental month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere
March 2025
story and artwork by Anne M. Dellinger, Contributing Columnist
Can you guess why the third month has earned this title? If you said because of its wild, erratic weather patterns, you are a keen observer. You may even be familiar with some folklore involving a lion and a lamb that recognizes and predicts the shifting moods of March’s weather madness.
The phrase “in like a lion, out like a lamb” means if March begins with a roar of wintry frigid-cold weather, then the month should end with gentle weather, like a little lamb ushering in spring.
This seems like a reasonable assumption because when March starts, it is still winter and by the end of the month, spring has officially begun.
However, some years the lamb comes in first and triggers “early spring” things to happen.
If the first days of March arrive with a gentle, sunny disposition, then flowers will start blooming, kids will hunt for their shorts and flip-flops, and grown-ups will leaf through their seed catalog.
But March is a swing month, caught between winter and spring. In this unsteady position, weather patterns can change March’s mood drastically within a short period.
Overnight the soothing, spring-like breezes can swiftly disappear into gloomy, frigid gusts. If freezing rain or snow are part of the roaring wintry mix, then tender buds and blooms will crystallize. Shivering kids will quickly grab their winter coats and beanies. Disappointed grown-ups will put the seed catalog back on the shelf.
Whenever the lion has the last word about March’s weather, spring seems a long way off. And that makes everyone a little glum.
In the meantime, no matter when the lion and lamb enter and exit March, there are four weeks to fill with actions for awakening and renewal.
As you look forward to the spring season, you can celebrate the changeable nature of March with these activities.
READ ACROSS AMERICA — MARCH 2-6, 2025
This event begins on March 2, Dr. Seuss’ birthday, and encourages children and youth in every community across the U.S. to observe the joy of reading. Keep books everywhere you spend your time. Put them in your car, in your room and your backpack. Visit the library and be sure to secure a card. When March weather is uninviting, find a comfortable spot inside and get lost in an adventure.
PLANT SOMETHING
Seeds can be started inside and kept on a sunny window sill. Remember to keep the soil moist and follow instructions on the seed packets for transplanting into larger pots when warmer days arrive. A potted garden is easy to maintain and is an ideal growing spot when a patch of ground is not available.
EXPLORE AND DISCOVER
When the weather becomes more “lamb-like,” make plans with your family to venture out on some hiking trails in a wooded area or state park. If possible, go prepared with a backpack that holds a hand lens, pencil, small notebook and a camera. Be sure to get down on the forest floor where you can get a close-up view of new life poking up through the leaf litter. Mother Nature always has awesome surprises waiting to be uncovered. All you have to do is look! As you go about making discoveries, take time to record your findings so you can relive your little adventure when back home
Hopefully you will want to keep on exploring during this transitional period of the year, especially when the days get longer and warmer. And, if a fickle March mood swing happens to ruin your plans, remember these words by writer Hal Borland, “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.”
CALLING ALL SUPER SLEUTHS
The lion and lamb of March folklore may relate more to astronomy than to March’s unpredictable weather. It is believed, by some, that a certain constellation that rises in the East in early March and another constellation that sets in the West at March’s end are recognized as the basis for the familiar saying — “in like a lion, out like a lamb.”
Help Hay Seed and City Slicker learn more about these March constellations and take a chance for a $25 Amazon gift card by following the directions below.
- Find and name the two constellations hidden in the March 2025 issue of Cooperative Living, giving the page number.
- Observe March’s weather throughout the month. Begin by recording the temperatures and weather conditions on a calendar during the first week or so. Then do the same observations at the end of the month. How would you interpret your findings using the lion and lamb analogy to describe the weather of March 2025?
For a chance to win a $25 Amazon email gift card, enter online at co-opliving.com/super-sleuth or send answers with name, address and phone number to:
Cooperative Living Super Sleuths
4201 Dominion Blvd., Suite 101
Glen Allen, VA 23060
Kids Korner submissions are for children under the age of 16.
November-December Super Sleuths
The November-December Super Sleuths was about the holiday season. For a chance to win a $25 Amazon email gift card, kids were asked to find a string of holiday lights hidden in the pages of the magazine and give the page number, share what kind of lights are used in their family’s holiday celebration, and name their favorite type of holiday lights.
The winning answers are:
- Page 2
- “We use multi-colored LED lights outdoors, multi-colored lights on the tree, and white twinkle lights in the Christmas village.”
- “Rainbow-colored lights.”
OUR WINNER IS CHIARA. Congratulations, Chiara!