As further proof of New Hampshire’s dismally warm and snowless winter, this week marked the earliest-ever recorded “ice-out” on Lake Winnipesaukee. For those unfamiliar, “ice-out” means the lake’s largest ship can now safely make all its ports of call. For 122 years, locals have looked to this tradition as the unofficial herald of spring.
Meanwhile, on my feet, a historic milestone of my own: the earliest-ever recorded “toes-out” pedicure took place this afternoon. “Toes-out” signifies that the crust and sorrow of winter have been professionally sloughed away and I am now cleared for public sandal exposure. It is as reliable a signal of spring as the chirping of sparrows or the forsythia’s first bloom.
(Yes, I’m aware the blue nail polish trend is so last week. But I get it now—it really does highlight the blueness of one’s ropey foot veins.)
