Spring!
It has arrived!! I knew that it was Spring before the calendar told me it was so; I knew it when the quality of the light changed; when the birds first sang their songs early in the morning; when the goldfinches began frequenting the thistle feeder, the breeding males sporting their brilliant yellow coats. I knew it was spring when I had to fill the feeders every other day; when the snowdrops and crocuses showed their colors; when the hens started laying again. I knew it was
spring when little muddy doggy footprints were a daily occurrence and when the smell of wet, muddy dogs permeated the house. All these things I knew.
I sit at the big kitchen window, birds crowding the feeders. The cardinals have found the new feeder, filled with safflower seeds, a pileated woodpecker sits on the suet, alternating between eating and calling. Nuthatches, chickadees, tufted titmice, Carolina wrens, woodpeckers and others move from place to place.
The sunshine, a welcome addition, tells me that it really IS time to wash the windows. Inside AND out. I will take care of it—soon. The weather report informs me that rain and storms are on the way, followed by a bit of snow by the weekend. The best thing about snow in April is that, unlike the 22 inches we had in March, it won’t last.
What tells you it is Spring in your neck of the woods?
April 10th, 2008 at 9:28 am
We don’t actually get spring. We get more snow (6-10 inches expected today), then the weather moves straight into the upper 80s and 90s. I’ll take the snow.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Birdsong in the morning is a sure sign. We do get birds that sing on very cold mornings, but when spring is fast approaching, the songs are many and varied, and it fills me with such hope.
Snow drops are one of the first signs of spring here, but even after the first ones show up, there is a long, long stretch of continual cold. Crocuses come next, then people start putting out bedding pansies. When the nurseries start getting crowded with people buying bedding flowers, you know that spring is finally here to stay.
April 10th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
My itchy, watery eyes tell me it’s spring so bring on the wet snow…for a few days of relief.
April 10th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
well, my neck of the woods is pretty much your neck of the woods, just with more houses and people, and less trees. Though our land does have more trees than most in the hood. Daffs are blooming. Birds are singing. Seeds are planted and sprouting. Kids are playing and coming to bed with filthy feet. And yes, the itchy eyes and sinus headaches that I just try to ignore in the hopes that they’ll just realize they’re not welcome and will go away.
April 13th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Here in Boston it’s getting warmer. There was a robin perched on the fence in back the other day and I had to exchange the thick winter eiderdown for a thin blanket. I can see that the windows need washing but who feels like it when it’s spring and we can be outside again!!
April 15th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Um, I stop feeling the urge to rip out large tufts of my own hair and I stop clutching at the curtains wailing, “Sun! I need SUN…..!!!”
April 18th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Lovely thoughts…spring is FINALLY here too — and it feels like BLISS!!!