SPRING

For a few minutes anyhow. There was a robin proudly proclaiming his presence in the yard by the car this morning. First one for the season here on the farm. There were dozens more of his kin, plus another blue bird, plus probably a hundred red-winged black birds foraging the roadsides on the trip over to the school this morning. Also to be seen was an amazing amount of tree damage from the ice they got night before last. We were lucky and didn't get a single bit, but there were trees and branches down all over on the hilly parts of the trip. Lots of firewood for somebody, but they sure are going to work for it. One family lost about half a giant maple in their front yard....fell right on a bunch of little spruce trees...what a shame.

There was still ice on some plants and trees on the west side of the road. It glittered in today's blazing sunlight like the walls of a Herkimer diamond mine after a rain. It was dramatically lovely, but I couldn't get any pictures because of heavy traffic. I did get a hurried shot of flood water gushing out of a huge culvert though. That particular culvert serves as drainage for the huge beaver swamp where we sometimes get a few plants for the water garden. I have never seen so much water rushing through there and it made me a bit nervous about driving over it. They replaced all the culverts on Corbin Hill last fall and there is a big dip where this one sits. With so much water against it and inside it I worry about it washing out. I will be watching closely on night drives!

Anyhoo....I am going to enjoy as much of this lovely day as I can, after I get the bookkeeping out of the way. ANOTHER storm in the forecast for tomorrow.