I am fed up with this, I am looking forward to..

[dominiquer60]

Spring!

Spring in south Florida is boring, in February the mocking birds and red wing blackbirds return on their flight north and the chance of a killing frost disappears. In March it turns into a NY July, end of spring, period.

I look forward to spring every year and can’t wait for the year that I can spend all of it in NY. As a child I knew that robins were around all year long, but most usually don’t become aware of them until the ground thaws and they pull worms. To me the bird that symbolized the return of Spring was the red wing blackbird and its unique call, this is the time of year that the ice cream place opened and so we would grab a cone and go down to the river and watch the birds and the water.

Recently before I got my snowbird job, Spring was officially here when we started the greenhouse and peppers, it felt more like it when we planted peas as early as possible and it really felt like it once I got the plows out and smelled the freshly turned earth (sorry I used and IH 544, not animals). My favorite weekend of the year is the first weekend in May, if the leaves are not out by then they are working hard at it. I used to drive down State Rt. 40 in Washington County to the Poultry tailgate sale in Schaighticoke the first Sunday of every May, Spring in NY dairy county is a thing of beauty.

What are your favorite signs of Spring?

[Hal]

Spring in North Florida isn’t much better (but not quite as boring as south FL’s spring). Temperatures are already in the mid-eighties consistently here. At least we still have a bit of cooler (at least by FL standards) weather left–have to look on the bright side down here.

[near horse]

Mud.:(

But Erika – red winged blackbirds? They are the scourge of any bird feeders. We know winter is on the way out when you hear the great horned owls calling during the breeding season (usually late Feb). Also, Canada geese start nesting and eventually march their broods from one pond to the next. Wow – now I’m feeling ready for spring.

The local paper always reports the sighting of the first Buttercup but we are happy when we see the snowdrops emerge.

I had friends from interior of Alaska that got excited about seeing lettuce (green) and not in the garden but just on their dinner plate:eek:

[dominiquer60]

Yes Geoff Redwing Black birds, don’t take the wind out of my sail man, its my memory.:( I’ll take a redwing over a starling, grackle or cowbird any day thank you, and no offense to anyone that may cherish these species. Snowdrops and crocuses too, I forgot about those, they are a must. I can’t share the owl one, we just didn’t see them much in my river valley, and as far as lettuce goes, I’ve been enjoying that out my garden all winter.:p That’s one good thing about FL winters.

Erika

[near horse]

Not as common but have you seen or heard a yellow-headed blackbird? That’s quite a song :p The bird book describes it thusly “song extremely harsh, unmusical; a few hard, clacking notes followed by a wavering raucous wail like a chainsaw ….” Oh spring is in the air:) Maybe that’s why there are more redwings than yellow heads.

[Rod]

Spring in Vermont is sugar time. Pails on trees, sap dripping into buckets, sweet sap smell mixed with wood smoke, snow and bare ground in scattered patches and MUD. The sun filtering through the woodland trees unhindered by leaves and the thrill of a full sap bucket. Not much else one can do anyway this time of year and the spring sugaring is a nice way to get out and get going. Sociability fun and work all mixed together.

[jen judkins]

My favorite ‘magical moment’ in spring comes as the snow melts, revealing the grey brown earth below and then after a few sunny days, little specks of green emerge, giving the groud a beautiful heathered appearance.

At that point, my horses walk away from their hay and stare out over the emerging pasture…waiting.

Today, I saw a bit of this in the sun exposed areas..beautiful!

[Robert MoonShadow]

Wait a minute, wait a minute wait just one damn minute!! Erika… you’ve got an ice cream parlor that CLOSES?!?! What the &*^% for?? That’s GOT to be illegal! In fact, it’s against the very laws of nature!!

Sure sign of approaching Spring around here: certain spoiled-rotton recent mothers start rubbing up against me, antiscipating my breaking out the rubber currybrush to help them shed their winter fur.
{Um, I’m talking goats here; but I’ve known a few women who… never mind}.

Spring: the time to change over from making naked snow angels to making naked mud angels!
{Try and get THAT mental image out of your mind anytime soon! :p }

[Carl Russell]

First light is calm and quiet save the rushing wing-beats of the raven gathering tidbits to stash, and save, to feed to the first-born offspring of the year.

The Earth has started to breath again, each pregnant breath bursting with moisture and the smells of life resurrected.

The woodland streams are so full you can hear them hundreds of feet away, but in the shade of the spruces the snow is still deep, and ice forms as the water splashes off the rocks.

As the air on the hill warms in the rising sun, you can feel a river of cold air rushing down the gully, pulling with it a fog so faint that you swear you’ve entered another world.

Carl

[dominiquer60]

I love them all, some good positive images, though you can keep the angels to your self Robert, no offense. I have never heard/seen a yellow headed blackbird, it sounds like you can keep them in the west there Geoff. I keep talking to a gentleman back home manning his sugarhouse at night while I am working. Its nice to have the company and hear about the progress of spring, today he plowed a strip and planted peas, he is considering early carrots also. Its music to my ears.:)

Erika

[Vicki]

Sap buckets on trees, steam billowing out of sugarhouses. My domestic ducks begin to lay again. Yes, redwing blackbirds! When the first flicker is sighted, it’s well into spring. Bluebirds and wrens and field sparrows are active around the birdhouses. Black hair gets all over me, even in my mouth–phooey! because the Dexters are shedding; I long for it to warm enough to clip them. Soon skunk cabbage begins to poke through the swampy places, then ramps will cover the woods and we’ll smell onions whenever we work in them.

[Carl Russell]

Here are a few pics of early spring in Bethel Gilead!

[Robert MoonShadow]

The sounds of 44 little hooves taptaptaptaptaptap dancing on the piece of plywood screwed to the side of the stanchion to make a ramp, as little 2-week old goats learn balancing skills and games. The soft little ‘nicker-baas’ that mother puts out that babies can hear clean across the pasture that says ‘feeding time’. A forgotten bed of crocuses hidden in the trees bordering the road, silently demanding notice of their bravery against the snow. A slight tint to the air, that you realize is the very first hints of leafbuds opening on the trees. The sounds of the neighbors from back in the higher elevations slowing down to view the baby goats… and realizing you don’t hear the sound of studded snow tires.

[dominiquer60]

🙂 Spring Therapy, I’m liking it, thank you all, it’s just what I needed!

[Plowboy]

I am anxiouslly awaiting a chance to start plowing. We have about 25 acres to plow and my spare or should I say divertable time gets shorter as the spring goes on. We have some good horses but some haven’t seen much work this winter and need to be hardened up slowly. My Dad is going to drag some manure in the 5 acre field by the barn tomorrow with 3 of them. I have been splitting locust fence posts like mad on a tree removal job up the road from here. Wearing less layers is definately appealing and the warm sun gives you more ambition. Our winter jobs didn’t all get done but we can transfer them to rainy day jobs if we have to. Spring will be welcome here if it is truly here! I think we are due for an early spring or at least I hope so.

[Author]

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