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Spring Equinox
Mar. 20th, 2009 03:55 pmAh, mid-spring in the hills of western Mass! Warmer this past week, then dipped below freezing again last night. And thank goodness for that -- constant warm and the sugaring season would already be over. As it is..... this may be a short season this year. Better than two years ago, but not as good as last year.
Cold nights and warm days, that's what we're hoping for another few weeks of, up here at least. That's sugaring weather, which we haven't been getting enough of. Well, we shall see.
We got our Peeps yesterday, for the annual sacrifice. A tradition from our University days ;)
Canadian geese, snow geese, mallards, robins and more are here. Spring flowers are appearing down in the valley, but I don't recall seeing any up here so far. Still, the buds on some of the non-Maple trees are starting to gain some color here and there, and the fields have faint hints of green. And of course by the beginning of summer (May 1), everything will be in full swing.
Meantime, the birds have been telling us it's spring for a few weeks now, with their songs of territory and courtship. In the newspaper yesterday was a picture of a nest of mallard duck eggs, so we know some of the courting has already been successful ;)
In California they're already getting back to gardening and farming. Here, the local farmer's market has had their first planning meeting of the year. In Oregon, spring flowers are blooming and trees are beginning to leaf out. Here, the wise tree will wait a few weeks more.
Yet even with the snow still on the ground here and there, there is a different quality to the snow and even to the mud. And in the air, the stronger hint of mulching leaves in the woods and by the roadside, and the fainter but definitive hint of green growing things. The smell of an awakening world.
Cold nights and warm days, that's what we're hoping for another few weeks of, up here at least. That's sugaring weather, which we haven't been getting enough of. Well, we shall see.
We got our Peeps yesterday, for the annual sacrifice. A tradition from our University days ;)
Canadian geese, snow geese, mallards, robins and more are here. Spring flowers are appearing down in the valley, but I don't recall seeing any up here so far. Still, the buds on some of the non-Maple trees are starting to gain some color here and there, and the fields have faint hints of green. And of course by the beginning of summer (May 1), everything will be in full swing.
Meantime, the birds have been telling us it's spring for a few weeks now, with their songs of territory and courtship. In the newspaper yesterday was a picture of a nest of mallard duck eggs, so we know some of the courting has already been successful ;)
In California they're already getting back to gardening and farming. Here, the local farmer's market has had their first planning meeting of the year. In Oregon, spring flowers are blooming and trees are beginning to leaf out. Here, the wise tree will wait a few weeks more.
Yet even with the snow still on the ground here and there, there is a different quality to the snow and even to the mud. And in the air, the stronger hint of mulching leaves in the woods and by the roadside, and the fainter but definitive hint of green growing things. The smell of an awakening world.
