Spring, a time full of anticipation

Three years ago, the roadside about a mile South of us was brightened by this time in April with the blooms in the picture (dogwood?, mountain serviceberry?). This year we still hold that in anticipation. Slowly, buds are swelling, more and more are bursting, leaf out has begun on some local plants, but there's barely a hint of life in the leaf buds at the tips of the oak branches hanging over our deck.

time to watch for patches of roadside beauty

Photo by J. Harrington

Perhaps our little slice of the Anoka Sand Plain still needs more rain and warmth to actually have Spring start bursting out all over. Meanwhile, we'll keep cleaning up last year's leaves and pulling buckthorn. We're starting to realize that. given where we live, these activities aren't occasional chores but more like a way of life. Figuring out what might work better as a ground cover, without having to clean up leaves each year, seems as likely to be successful as a search for the holy grail. May that be the biggest, most significant issue we have to take care of this growing season.

male goldfinch and purple finch at feeder

Photo by J. Harrington

Purple finches have again joined the goldfinches at our feeders. The males of the latter have about completed their change into mating colors. Having several of each at a feeder looks a bit like an explosion in a crayola crayon factory. We expect, or at least hope for, visits from even more colorful tropical migrants sometime in the near future. Spring is a time of anticipation.

Spring

By Mary Oliver

I lift my face to the pale flowers
of the rain. They’re soft as linen,
clean as holy water. Meanwhile
my dog runs off, noses down packed leaves
into damp, mysterious tunnels.
He says the smells are rising now
stiff and lively; he says the beasts
are waking up now full of oil,
sleep sweat, tag-ends of dreams. The rain
rubs its shining hands all over me.
My dog returns and barks fiercely, he says
each secret body is the richest advisor,
deep in the black earth such fuming
nuggets of joy!

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