Spring has arrived in Issaquah! Can you feel it? Has spring fever gripped you yet? The spring fever feeling could be felt today for sure! The sun warmed up our afternoon to 56 degrees and the sun still hasn’t gone completely down and it’s a late 7:15pm. Yes! Ladies and gents spring is upon us!

Yes it happens every year… so why be amazed at 42 years old? Right? WRONG! I continue to be fascinated by it because as a living, breathing being the change of a seasons has both an actual psychological effect on my mood and a biological effect on the way I feel physically and to pause and reflect on that is a good thing! This “feeling” is commonly referred to as “Spring Fever”. But what exactly is Spring Fever?

According to the Scientific American articleFact or Fiction?: “Spring Fever” Is a Real Phenomenon there are correlations between moods, behavior and the lengthening days of spring. This phenomenon of Spring Fever in humans is very real and we all experience different sensations. Some of us have more energy, while others might feel restlessness or lazy.

You might also have surges of feelings of love, overwhelming admiration or sexual feelings and that is completely normal.

“From a biological perspective, most types of animals, and maybe even plants, have seasonal variation in behavior and physiology; there are seasonal cycles in human rates of conception,” says Thomas Wehr of the National Institute of Mental Health.

Personally I feel both surges of energy and laziness. I will have bursts of spring energy to de-clutter the garage and plant stuff. Also known as “spring cleaning” but then I typically overdo it and need a nap from all the fresh air! Haha!

Some of my favorite things to do in Issaquah in the spring time are:

1. Walk the Rainer Trail downtown Issaquah to see all the blooming mature flowers! Downtown Issaquah is truly unique in spring and fall because of how mature the landscape is.

2. Go have lunch or go at sunset to Umi Cafe! Omg the best chicken wings and spring atmosphere!

3. Take a bike ride! Did you know that if you get on Rainer Trail you can ride it all the way around Lake Samammish to Redmond! So cool!

4. Park/ Issaquah Creek Hoping! I love going to each fork of the Issaquah creek and sitting at each spot for about 10 minutes. You can see ducks, seagulls, hear the incredible sound of the creek and say hello to some local folks in the community 🙂 There are about 4 places downtown that I like to catch the Issaquah Creek. 1. Confluence Park 2. Gilman Village next to Issaquah Coffee 3. The park on front street 4. There is a fork near Bohems Chocolate.

I used to do this when we lived in the Issaquah Highlands – instead of Creek hoping we would go Park Hoping! I set the timer for 10 minutes and we spend 10 minutes in eat one and then move on to the next one!

5. Getting seeds and spring ready in my own yard and spaces. Something about dirt and new growth that I absolutely love! I think it’s because every spring every gardener has a blank canvas! I enjoy getting the seeds together I’ll plant and mapping out how I will plant things 🙂 last year I started seeds ahead of time in March on the windowsill. I’m getting ready to do that again this year.

Find your spring time inspiration! An idea is write down a bunch of trails within walking distance that maybe you’ve never been to and explore them this season!