arrival

Does everyone have their own cue for when Spring is "really" here?

For many folks, I think it may be plants - individually or collectively - that close the door on Winter. Maybe it's the first sign of ferns:

or daffodils.

Maybe it's the soft and delicate columbine:

or the dazzling pool of color provided by a crocus cluster,

or even the first sight of an insect enjoying the pollen within:

For me, amongst all the signs and sights, 

there is one cue that signals Spring Is Here. 

The appearance of the first bloodroot:

I've been watching. It appeared this morning.

No matter what wild weather we may experience in the weeks ahead, it will not mean Winter was just taking a breather and has come roaring back.

For me, Spring is here.

What are your personal cues for the arrival of Spring? Please leave a comment and share your unique view, whether you are heading into Spring or Autumn or some other season in your world right now.

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winter interlude

Pssst! Are you looking for

the Grow Your Blog Party post

and giveaway? It's right here!

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We've had a little break recently: after weeks of bitter and paw-chilling cold, the past few days have been warm. Really warm: first in the teens then 20s then breaking 32F yesterday.

There has been much melting.

Piper and I took the opportunity on each warm day to spend some joyful time in the woods.

This is what it looked like the first day:

 And this is what it looked like yesterday:

There was still lots of ice and snow on the forest floor, but there were also many open patches, usually under hardwoods or along the woods road, where the sun had melted most of the snow. 

It was refreshing to see so much color again, and to smell the sun-warmed earth and the autumn-dried plants. A wonderful treat for the senses, especially since I knew more snow would probably be falling soon.

 

Since I didn't need to keep my mittens on (!!!) the camera never left my hand. More than once I spent several happy minutes in one spot, clicking and clicking away, without moving more than a couple of feet in any direction.

Piper finds such behavior baffling. She demonstrates this by eventually running full-tilt across my field of vision, only inches away from my body, and crashing through whatever plant or tiny landscape I am photographing.

And then looking back and giving me a huge happy grin.

Something like this:

Sometimes, I repay this hooliganism by asking Piper for a "Stand Stay" while I take her picture. Yesterday she stood on one of the big glacial erratics we visited many times last summer:

About 5 seconds of standing quietly...click, click, click...then I said, "Okay!" and she was off in one grand, blurry leap.

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Now the cold is back, and falling snow is already covering the recently-exposed ground. Piper accompanied me on chores this morning, then headed straight back to her cozy bed. 

Makes me glad we seized the day(s)!

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