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?
Twenty two inches of snow and it is still snowing. We closed our studio/gallery early yesterday and stayed home today. We couldn’t have gone anywhere if we had wanted——safely. Roads were closed except for essential travel.
The silence is incredible; the snow plentiful and heavy, glistening in the light of the lamp post. The dogs, delighted to go out again, waded through the drifts. Lily did her toy poodle-in- the-snow dance; all we could see was the black of her muzzle. We trudged up to the barn and onward toward the hillside, collapsing in the knee deep white stuff. The enormity of it all; the majesty of Nature is humbling.
Returning to this old house we peeled off the layers, our Carhartts stiff with snow. The familiar smell of wet dogs and wet clothing mingles with that of baking bread. We grab snacks, plop on the couch and listen to the wind outside.
By fromskilledhands (
February 28, 2008 at 11:10 am)
· Filed under Discoveries, Dogs, Joy, Snow
Snow. And more snow. And more is coming; Friday is expected to bring another 4-7 inches to top off the 18 inches we already have. I felt like I stepped through the back of the Wardrobe into Narnia yesterday morning.
Walking the dogs was interesting. Snow up to my knees. A Tibetan Terrier, a Shepherd Sheltie mix and……… a toy poodle.
Lily tips the scales at 8.3 pounds but she doesn’t know that she’s small. She waited for me to go first, clearing a bit of a path as I trudged through the woods. She reminded me of a cross between a kangaroo, a rabbit, and a ballerina as she navigated the terrain, stopping to clear her face after she inhaled the cold white stuff. Snow angels for puppies!
When we returned to this old house, I placed her in tepid water to melt the snow balls that clung to every curl on her body. She shook, sprinkling the entire kitchen (and me, too); then she looked at me as if to say, “Can we go out again, Mom.”
Funny little dog.
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