It's almost (meteorological) Spring!

While out walking the dog at mid-day, we took a couple of deep breaths and could almost smell Spring, or at least Monday's beginning of March, in the air. The breeze was strong and out of the South and cold! As we sit writing this post, the oak tree tops are doing what looks like a samba.

crows, we think -- maybe ravens?

Photo by J. Harrington

Neighborhood crows have gotten noisy over the past week or so. It's getting to be mating / breeding time for them. Tomorrow night is February's full moon, according to our Minnesota Weatherguide calendar, it's known as the Sucker Moon by the Ojibwe and the Popping Trees Moon by the Lakota. Tomorrow is also when we again reach more than 11 hours of daylight.

forced leaf out on red osier dogwood

Photo by J. Harrington

With a little luck, and if our second vaccine shot doesn't hit us too hard, soon we'll start spending lots more time outside. There's some branches to be pruned and red osier dogwood stems to be foraged so we can see some leaves emerge. Perhaps we'll even get lucky enough to be able to enjoy some fires in the fire pit sometime next month. After all, meteorological Spring begins on Monday!

Kyoto: March

By Gary Snyder

A few light flakes of snow

Fall in the feeble sun;

Birds sing in the cold,

A warbler by the wall. The plum

Buds tight and chill soon bloom.

The moon begins first

Fourth, a faint slice west

At nightfall. Jupiter half-way

High at the end of night-

Meditation. The dove cry

Twangs like a bow.

At dawn Mt. Hiei dusted white

On top; in the clear air

Folds of all the gullied green

Hills around the town are sharp,

Breath stings. Beneath the roofs

Of frosty houses

Lovers part, from tangle warm

Of gentle bodies under quilt

And crack the icy water to the face

And wake and feed the children

And grandchildren that they love.

********************************************
Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.