Spring signs

© harrington

Hi! Thanks for stopping in. Are you enjoying the "warm" weather? Tonight we're supposed to have a waxing, gibbous moon, 86% full. With the cloud cover this afternoon, I'll be surprised if we get to see any moon at all, thus, today's photo. When I filled the bird feeders this afternoon, I noticed the woods were full of bird sounds. Walking the dog, my nose told me the neighbor had either just mucked out the barn or really needed to very soon. Several days ago, in the cold and wind, none of these Spring signs were evident. Franco the Rescue dog is spending more and more time, much to the annoyance of his walker, listening and sniffing (head down) and smelling (head raised). Is Spring the season of senses? Not only does the earth awaken from Winter's near-death experience, but those of us who have spent Winter bundled and booted found most of our senses wearing mittens. What's the sense of listening through a hat or earmuffs covering our ears? We "know" there's nothing to hear. Once you've smelled below-zero cold, it hardly ever changes, especially through a drippy nose. I remember reading that scenting conditions for dogs are improved by some humidity. Winter air is about as unhumid as it gets around here. With so much snow cover in a normal Winter, there's clearly nothing to see except white and more white. And yet, the neighborhood barred owls manage to find mice and voles under the snow. The deer I see don't seem to be any less alert in Winter. I know the local turkey population notices my approach as soon as, or sooner than, they do when the ground cover is plants rather than flakes. I've never really been a Winter person so perhaps I'm one of the few who finds his senses dulled and dimmed by Winter. Do you? How common do you suppose it is? Will warmer Winters help us Minnesotans feel more alive or less Minnesotan? Thanks for listening. Feel free to share some answers in the comments. Raves, rants and reflections served daily here at My Minnesota.