These days, everywhere I go, everyone I talk to sings the same refrain: "Oh, I can't wait for spring! This winter ... I'm so over it!" I feel that way, too, and I was gone to Central America for seven weeks this winter.
On Monday Frances, Namaste, and I drove down to the Twin Cities to visit with my sister, Mel. She flew to Minnesota to meet staff and conduct business for her new job in Baltimore, MD. We spent just a few hours visiting over several evenings but it was a golden opportunity. Even though she and I talk by phone most weekends, two years is a long time to not have face-to-face time with one of your best friends.
During our stay "down south" another winter storm flashed through the area leaving snow and subzero temps in its wake. On Thursday we left Minneapolis at 4:00am. Departing temps in Minneapolis were -3 but as we traveled further north they dropped to -9, -14, -18, and finally bottomed out at -24. The inch or two of new snow lining the streets of Minneapolis shrank in comparison to the eight plus that lay in our woodsy backyard.
Everyone's ready for spring. Our geese were more than happy to stay in their heat-lamp-heated barn during this most recent cold spell. Frances wondered aloud about our neighborhood wild turkey. "Can he dig into the snow?" she asked, "How does he keep warm when these temps are so cold?"
At the end of our road trip we discovered "our" turkey sitting in a tree next to the road about a half-mile from our house. "Oh, that's what he does," Frances commented when she spotted him. She'd imagined that he'd find someplace warmer than his traditional roosting spot.
Today the sky is blue beautiful. The sun glances off heaps of white that stretch off into the woods. In recent weeks squirrels race around our house tempting Namaste into hide and chase games. And, no, Namaste never wins.
Spring signals her return in longer days of sunshine and increasing animal activity. Next weekend it will be official ... Spring Equinox. Soon black bear will emerge from hibernation and knock down bird feeders. Then migrating birds will chirp familiar songs as they flash brilliant colors from tree branches. And, finally, finally, the snow and ice will begin to thaw.
Our first spring in Bayfield--2003--my brother and his girlfriend visited. On one of our outings we rode the Madeline Island ferry. Huge chunks of ice bobbed around the ferry, bumping up against its sides as we made our 20 minute journey across the bay. It was Memorial Day Weekend, the last weekend in May. What, I wonder, will this year bring?
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