Spring, sprang, sprung!

The sun is shining. Fields are greening. Birds at the feeder are catching up on meals missed due to recent weather. This morning I finished rereading The Boy, the mole, the fox and the horse with our granddaughter. At two and a half, she’s more interested in an iPad screen than looking at pages in a book. I’ve discovered that the book has been animated and is available on Apple tv and, I believe, a cd version. We will do some exploring and cross-checking to determine if presents for her third birthday will include access to the A-tv version, a cd, or both. The story is too important to let my bias toward platforms [books over screens] deprive her of a fuller enjoyment of the tale of friendship, not that I believe in that old saying about the mountain and Mohammad.

If you’re out and about in farm country, be sure to keep your eyes open for lambs. Today was the first day this year we noticed some out with the rest of the flock. Up until now it’s been too cold and/or wet and/or hot to let lambs go gamboling in the fields. Rams and ewes look like they’ve recently been shorn so warmer, dryer weather is healthier and more comfortable for the grownups too.

how long unti dandelions arrive?

Photo by J. Harrington

Rivers are running more than bank full. Marshes are still flooded. Low spots are full of pooled water. All day rain is forecast for tomorrow and Thursday. I think that’s an invitation for me to start the first branch fire of the year in the fire pit. But wait! The hoses may still be full of ice or slush and the outside faucets haven’t yet been turned on. Maybe next week, if we reliably enjoy overnight low temperatures that stay above freezing. This afternoon’s progress may be limited to removing the back blade from the tractor, a small but significant measure of seasonal change.

An April Day

Joseph Seamon Cotter Jr. - 1895-1919

On such a day as this I think,
      On such as day as this,
When earth and sky and nature’s whole
      Are clad in April’s bliss;
And balmy zephyrs gently waft
      Upon your cheek a kiss;
Sufficient is it just to live
      On such a day as this.

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