Life on a family farm
in the wilds of
Upstate New York
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Reaching joy
Winter is prison. I don't care how beautiful it is, it makes me miserable. I get though it by feeding the birds, growing as many plants as I can fit in my windows, on my benches, anywhere I can put them, and by waiting.....
***do click***
For a day like this one. There is still snow, but it is perfect snow...loose granular is the skiers' term I think. It has a satisfyingly sloppy crunch underfoot. Fun to walk in. It is on its way out too, leaving us apace..... Every step you take will be a bare place tomorrow. Every dark thing has its own Easter basket nest too, melted by absorbing rays from a still hidden sun.
Birds are everywhere...avian surround sound.
There be robins. Maelstroms of geese, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds ringing everywhere. Red winged black birds and grackles, blue jays with cheeks so crammed with sunflower seeds that they look deformed when they fly. Thunderous clapping mourning doves...birds everywhere. One flock of Canadas went by this morning, sailing east down the river. I counted...slowly....very slowly...to thirty seconds worth and they were still coming, punctuated by silver gulls that were caught up in their beating flight path.
Because I was on a hill and they were not so very high over the water I was looking straight across at them and could see their wings throbbing, brown, then grey, then brown again, in flickering unison.
There is water everywheretoo, rushing toward the river like it might miss it if it didn't hurry. The horse pasture pond is overflowing. As I sit on the old barrel I set here years ago, I can hear the excess softly burbling across the grass despite the racket from the Intersate. It is so clear that if it weren't for reflected light, you couldn't see it.
Can you see the water below?...
Even though it is still winter you can sense the springing up of outdoor things. It is easy to remember why lambs buck and caper and horses gallop and kick just for the fun of it. I feel downright frisky too.
16 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I'm so glad it's thawing out for you. I found frog eggs this morning! You won't be far behind.
No thawing going on here. Your photos are beautiful. I love to hear the peepers.... it will be quite some time for us before they thaw. Had another half a foot of snow last night/early morning.
I went to the feed store this morning and enjoyed smelling all the wonderful plants they have on display. Really does smell like spring in there! Hope you don't mind my saying so.........after a couple of weeks of tweaking and figuring my way around this computer, we set up a blog for our farm. www.tylerfarmhomestead.blogspot.com It's so much fun reading everyone's daily entries, I thought people might enjoy seeing our babies and what we do here.
Deb, I am delighted to hear that you started a blog! I put you right in the blog roll...
Jeffro, Moisture we have lots of and I would love to share. We never got enough frost in the ground to mention this winter, even though it was cold. the snow cover came early and stuck I guess. Sorry to heat that is is already getting dry....
Mrs. W, I suppose we will get more snow, but it sure was nice to be able to get out and walk around yesterday and listen to all the birds singing and squabbling over the best trees!
Amen to that! (And I'm seeing some flurries as I write this.) My young cat sure is enjoying the increased bird activity... she tries the charm them from the windows with her odd little noises. It's really fun to watch!
Nice post and wonderful pictures. I am longing for spring, too. I've seen a few signs....new calves, buds just starting to push out on tree branches, and the wonderful sound of birds singing at dawn.
FC, thanks, no green yet, but it can't be far behind
Stacy, I'll bet you will be a bit ahead of us. My brother is working in Scranton and says it is much springier than here
Cathy, thanks, the barrel used to sit between our property and the neighbors. I would take my old horse through the gate onto their place, use the barrel as a mounting block (as I never used a saddle) and she and I would ride. Now both the horses we rode are dead and gone and we rarely see one another any more, so I rolled the barrel to the pond. Recycling so to speak.
I love hearing about your "Reaching for Joy" post! I also enjoy this time of the year with the birds singing like that! And natures easter basket! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful spring. Mom knew spring had sprung this week because of the blossoming trees. And the bugs have appeared - grasshoppers, bees, wasps, flies. The birds and geckos are thrilled!
MOn@rch, thanks, I have been enjoying the waterfowl immensely. the sky and the river are full of them!
Cubby, glad spring is springing there. No insects here yet, except the box elder bugs that like to come in the house and drown in the dogs' water dish.
16 comments:
I'm so glad it's thawing out for you. I found frog eggs this morning! You won't be far behind.
Frog eggs, oh, Lordy, how glorious! Our ponds is still mostly frozen, but peepers should be showing up real soon!
No thawing going on here. Your photos are beautiful. I love to hear the peepers.... it will be quite some time for us before they thaw. Had another half a foot of snow last night/early morning.
I went to the feed store this morning and enjoyed smelling all the wonderful plants they have on display. Really does smell like spring in there!
Hope you don't mind my saying so.........after a couple of weeks of tweaking and figuring my way around this computer, we set up a blog for our farm. www.tylerfarmhomestead.blogspot.com It's so much fun reading everyone's daily entries, I thought people might enjoy seeing our babies and what we do here.
Enjoy the weekend....
Debi
Tylerfarm
Maine
We've had beautiful weather - lots of 60 to 70 degree days, plus even more rare - the wind has been absent.
But it is getting pretty dry again. Geez, who'd have thunk it, a semi-arid desert being dry.
Y'll can send as much of that crunchy pellet snow our way as you can stand - it has high moisture content.
I'm glad you all are working your way to spring - I was sure ready over a month ago and here I am complaining already!
Deb, I am delighted to hear that you started a blog! I put you right in the blog roll...
Jeffro, Moisture we have lots of and I would love to share. We never got enough frost in the ground to mention this winter, even though it was cold. the snow cover came early and stuck I guess. Sorry to heat that is is already getting dry....
Threecollie, you make it sound so wonderful. I heard geese, too, and thought spring must be close after all!
Mrs. W, I suppose we will get more snow, but it sure was nice to be able to get out and walk around yesterday and listen to all the birds singing and squabbling over the best trees!
Amen to that! (And I'm seeing some flurries as I write this.) My young cat sure is enjoying the increased bird activity... she tries the charm them from the windows with her odd little noises. It's really fun to watch!
Mrs. W, Ha! I can just see her in my mind's eye....
Wonderful words 3C and photos too!
Very springy.
Nice post and wonderful pictures. I am longing for spring, too. I've seen a few signs....new calves, buds just starting to push out on tree branches, and the wonderful sound of birds singing at dawn.
3C - this was lovely. You're writing is poetry and I sat on that barrel with you and smiled at the promise of Spring.
FC, thanks, no green yet, but it can't be far behind
Stacy, I'll bet you will be a bit ahead of us. My brother is working in Scranton and says it is much springier than here
Cathy, thanks, the barrel used to sit between our property and the neighbors. I would take my old horse through the gate onto their place, use the barrel as a mounting block (as I never used a saddle) and she and I would ride. Now both the horses we rode are dead and gone and we rarely see one another any more, so I rolled the barrel to the pond. Recycling so to speak.
I love hearing about your "Reaching for Joy" post! I also enjoy this time of the year with the birds singing like that! And natures easter basket! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful spring. Mom knew spring had sprung this week because of the blossoming trees. And the bugs have appeared - grasshoppers, bees, wasps, flies. The birds and geckos are thrilled!
MOn@rch, thanks, I have been enjoying the waterfowl immensely. the sky and the river are full of them!
Cubby, glad spring is springing there. No insects here yet, except the box elder bugs that like to come in the house and drown in the dogs' water dish.
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