DRAT!!!

Please, please, please let this weather stop and give me the glory that is spring.  I am feeling so house bound with the cold and wind and now this snow.  I will have to admit the beauty of it all, but now enough, let me will the sun to shine, the winds to calm, and the sun to turn up the heat on the air and the earth.

THE WALK

Deer.
A Fox.
Black Vultures.
Blue Heron eyeing my Koi pond.
Wind.
Occasional snow flakes.
Northern Harrier.
Assorted sparrows.
Bluebirds.
Cold.

HEARING AND HUNTING

With eye's closed it is easy to know that spring is well underway. The increasing calls and drumming of the woodpeckers is distinctive along the western hedgerow as the weather slowly warms and the light of day is lengthened, and of course there is the smell of spring.   Eye's wide open, and there is a whole host of bird life springing into action.  It is easy, with the trees still stripped of leaf cover to spot the Red Belly and Pileated Woodpeckers, the Flickers are ubiquitous, and the occasional Downy and Hairy are seen scurrying  up the bark of a snag.  The hawk migration has been in evidence for a while, the Northern Harrier and Kestrel are hovering in the fields, and finally the Ospreys have arrived to claim and refurbish their nests. Even today, misty with drizzle, the activity of all of the birds in the space surrounding the house is increased.  The Bluebirds seemingly on every branch, hard to miss in their new blue feathers, the Sparrows and Robins already scouting for a suitable nesting spot.  I have set out the bits and bobs of discarded yarn, fabric and dog fur,  which I know I will find latter in the nests that I uncover in the fall cleanup.
The walk today had Zoe and Parker overwhelmed, as there had been a  Fox Hunt on the property a day or so ago,  which brought a whole new world of smells to the farm, perceived only by them.  I could only watch as the cataloging and indexing of the discoveries was underway, the consultations between the two of them confirming or rejecting the evidence of new information found with their noses pressed onto the ground.

Home from the walk and inside just as the drops of rain come closer together.

THE BOUNCE

We think that spring is finally springing. The days are noticeably longer, the sun is warmer on our skin during the morning walk. I may notice it more than Parker and Zoe, but I think they know things are looking up as well. I should be a little careful in surmising the coming of better weather, we could still be house bound on the occasional ill weathered day.
Still, the flowers of the crocus are finally able to open, having pushed up out of the ground weeks ago, but not finding the air pleasing enough to spread their pedals. It will not be long before more things pop to life in the rush of renewal.  There is a great sense of urgency.
The spring I have always known brings feelings of pleasure and joy, which are somewhat dulled this year by not having my wonderful boy Jake with me to share in the season. Zoe and Parker however, are alive with the possibilities of one more great walk feeling the anticipation of stumbling onto a new adventure.
Spring does that to everyone