IT'S SPRING (SORT OF)

The vernal equinox came and went this morning; now it's official. So of course it's only 36 degrees and the wind makes it feel even colder. Didn't bother the dog--she jumped in the water-filled ditch like she always does. But my ears were damned chilly and my eyes and nose were running to beat the band.

Of course it's been spring here--mostly--for a while. The red-winged blackbirds came back a couple of weeks ago. Everywhere you go in the woods you hear a cacophony of bird song and wherever there's standing water in the woods you hear the din of horny frogs.

As much as I like summer, spring really is the most glorious season. The reawakening of a lifeless land. New life all around you. Can't beat it with a stick.

This time of year I always kick myself for not having planted lots of bulbs the previous fall so I could enjoy the early colors of crocuses, hyacinths, daffodils and tulips. But come fall I always forget. There are always some things in our lives we never seem to get quite right and for me this is one of them.

IT AIN'T QUITE SPRING, BUT...

Saw the first red-winged blackbirds of the year yesterday. Three of them were mixed in with a bunch of grackles under the feeders. There was also a huge swarm of starlings eating grubs in the backyard.

Robins are hardly a reliable harbinger of spring. There are plenty of them that stay around here all winter. But red wings are a sure signal that we're not far away from the end of the big sleep.

I notice this is the first post in about 15 months. Shame on me. I should do better and I tell myself that I will. But I never do.