Countdown to Spring - Following the Sun

So, after our most recent bit of heavy snow (good packing stuff – great for snowball fights), we had what I think/hope is the last arctic blast of this season.  As with the first two episodes of polar vortex breakout, I did waterline vigil, getting up multiple times in the night and making sure I still had hot and cold water running through the pipes, not frozen somewhere before that to the point of needing to wait until late afternoon before I could have my morning shower.  Yes, I'm always bleary-eyed and needing coffee more than just wanting it after doing that, but it's totally worth the effort in my book.  Besides, I'm used to sleep deprivation.

Signs of oncoming spring have been elusive.  There are some birds doing what I consider spring singing, year 'round feathered residents claiming their territory.  But I haven't seen any migrators yet.  The robins have not made their presence known even to the folks who tell me I'm late in seeing them every year.  My favorite little pussy willow, which normally is already in early fuzzy bloom, is only starting to bud.  Trees are starting to show signs of life, but it's usually more pronounced by now, although my coworker who taps maple trees to make syrup every year says the sap is running and he wasn't talking about a political candidate, either. 

But the days are getting longer and the sun is coming up more to the north on the horizon and is higher in the sky now.  It's only been within the last two weeks, but I've noticed my cats are seeking out windows and the space at my balcony door during the sunny periods of the day.  With the sun brighter and therefore warmer than the rumpled covers on the bed where the human was previously, they are basking their furry butts.  I totally get it.

Thing is, even after the sun has moved on and the rays are no longer directly coming through the glass, they're still staring out onto the outdoor world, likely with as much anticipation as their owner of escaping the great indoors after all this time.  But, while daytime temperatures in the 40s are friendlier, which is where they are now and are predicted to remain right until the last day of this now dreary winter season, they're still not inviting cats or humans to stay outside for any length of time.  The snow is  going away, but there still a lot left.  Underneath it, though, is brown and even some green.  So, the end of this winter solstice really is coming and will become a memory in less than a month.  Honest.

If you have Daylight Saving Time where you live, it's likely starting this weekend, so don't forget to turn your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed tonight unless the clocks do it on their own (some do).

Only 11 days until Spring.

Countdown to Spring - The Last Day of Winter (Sort of)

For those who have read this inane series before, you know I normally take a walk on the final day of winter and report on all the signs of spring that I can.  However, despite the beautiful weather outside just made for that purpose, I'm not up to it today.  Probably all that damned shoveling.

The snow pack has decreased, but it's going to be a a while before brown and green replace white for the ground color here in uptstate New York.  But, spring is still letting us know it's on its way in the form of buds on trees and birds singing to claim their place, among other little hints.

We'll have chilly temperatures and even some single digits at night on Wednesday, but after that, well, it could very well be the real thing.

You know ...

Only 1 day until Spring.

Countdown to Spring: It’s the Most Heaviest Snow of the Year

The title needs to be sung to the tune “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”.  The irony of the choice should not be wasted,

I came, I saw, I shoveled.  I also took my time.  The snow was heavy.  The layer sleet and freezing rain that came down on top of that 4-5" didn’t help, either.  This stuff was the kind that you take a few shovelfuls of and then rest, take a few more and rest.  I’m not fan of ICU rooms.

Think of it as a Zen exercise, especially when you get to the super-heavy, super-sloppy plowed ridge(s) at the roadside.  Slow, deliberate movements, taking in the surroundings as you go.  No, not the more snow on top of snow scenario.  The buds on bushes and low-lying tree branches.  The hollowing of the snow at tree trunks from more direct sunlight and the sap starting to run.  The songs being sung by birds which are not all the same tunes you’ve been hearing all winter.  The signs are there and growing.  They may be hard to see unless you look for them, but they are there.

Now, excuse me while I go take some ibuprofen before my muscles and joints start to protest what I just did to them.

Only 16 days until spring.

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