A Serving of Spring

When a few weeks ago (just before we were pummeled by the heaviest snow storm of the year... so far) when I proclaimed that spring was at hand... it was received with some skepticism. How did I know... you just know.

Its almost like an instinct- to detect when winter is over and be able to read the signs.

After so many cold cold cold days there is the day you smell it... its hard to describe, and I do not have a particularly good sense of smell mind you, but its like the smell of earth... or perhaps decomposition resuming as microbes become active again in the soil as it heats ever so slightly.

You can hear it, in birds... not shy intermittent chirping in the quiet of a winter morning, but a multitude of vigorous chatter. Could they be having their equivalent discussion on the seasonal change?

You can feel it! When you just lived an entire month or more of steady 20-30 degree weather you can feel the difference when the temperature finally peeks up above freezing. This week for example... steady daily highs in the 40's (and even low 50's as the forecast declares! YES!) OK, if you live in warmer climates this may all seem so trivial. However there is truly a wave of... excitement? joy? elation? when the temperature increases even just this seemingly small amount.

Now, more than ever, you can see the change. You can behold things you have not seen in several months.

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day in the high 40's. To celebrate I pulled on my boots and grabbed the camera and went outside (without a jacket) in the backyard for a good hour or more to appreciate it all... wandering around without any purpose but to soak it all in... the sights, the smells, the warmth of the sun, the ability to experience textures without a gloved hand. Here are some of the signs of spring I found in my meanderings.

Buds of green growth! Pretty sure this is a honeysuckle. Remembering last year, this was one of the first things to develop leaves as far as trees and shrubs go.

INSECTS! That are alive! OUTSIDE! One phenomena of the coming of spring is suddenly realizing you have more houseflies or other insects within the house (than is normal)... where did all these guys come from? Ah yes, they are waking up. This wasp was found outside, crawling around not flying... one step at a time here. Please note the somewhat green grass... meaning you can at least SEE the ground again.

This leads me to next thing of note. MELTING. Not much over a week ago we had a good 18-20 inches of snow cover. A few people I spoke to had up to six feet of snow in the form of drifts in some areas (including their roofs- not good). With temperatures above freezing and into the 40-50's everything is rapidly melting. Yes, while much of the ground is still well blanketed, areas of bare ground are making an appearance.

Here I save the best for last. Today I was trying to watch the birds visiting my bird feeder outside the kitchen window where I saw a blue jay, a cardinal, some chickadees, some mourning doves and ... whats that... is that... a... a robin? Three robins! (again note the exposed ground-not snow in the photo above)

Robins. Personally, I wasn't expecting to see a robin for at least a couple weeks or more. Its different everywhere, but around here, a robin is a sure sign of spring.