spring

Like I said the other day, temperatures today are supposed to be near 50, and tomorrow near 60. Walking out to the car this morning, I happened to glance at the small ditch I carved in the ice and snow yesterday.

As I said on this blog recently, this is the season for lessons in thermodynamics, I had forgotten that it is also the season for teachings in hydrology. You see, temperatures are usually around freezing this time of year; sometimes a little above, sometimes a little below. That means that snow and ice are often turning into water, and visa versa. Yesterday afternoon a pool of water had formed in the driveway. That brought two possibilities to mind. Cooler temperatures would cause that water to turn to ice, leading to something akin to a skating rink in the lane. If temperatures remained relatively warm, the water would turn the lane into a muddy quagmire, not unlike miso soup. Neither of these possibilities are pleasant ones either for us or for the driver for the town who plows our lane. Hence the ditchwork.

I have done plenty of "water work" here on the other side of the creek over the years. There have been two basic reasons for this. One is the aforementioned: to keep ice, water and snow out of the lane. The other is to keep as much water as possible out of the basement.

Last Saturday was a warmish day. In the evening, Allyn and I were heading to a party nearby. Crossing the bridge on Kahle road, the water on the bridge was about three inches high. It was forecasted that temperatures would cool that evening, and I could envision the skating rink that would ensue should I fail to intervene.

The party was a madhouse. I wouldn't be missed. I came back home and did the requisite digging to get the water off the bridge, and into the Ira creek.

There is another well known way in which water "springs" forth this time of year. The sugaring season has begun. Water in this sugary form is being sucked out of the ground by maple trees and into sap lines and buckets all over the state.

Even the word "Spring" brings another usage of the word to mind. A spring, a place where water is gushing out of the ground, seemingly without ceasing. I googled the word in order to learn about its origin. It comes from the Dutch and German word, "springen" which means, the head of a well, to rush out in a stream. Perfect.

Water will be the watchword here over the next couple of days. There are flood watches in effect here until Saturday evening. When temperatures are to cool, and water will revert to its icy wintry form... for a time.

Sometimes when I write these lengthy blogs I wonder. Does this mean that the natural world is wondrous and endlessly fascinating, or do I just lead an exceedingly boring life? Maybe it's a little of both. What's your opinion on the matter, Shawn?

In the air

Coming in from an early morning meeting. The sun is so bright. Spring is in the air. Yesterday I took a short walk through forests and fields. I saw a half dozen birds congregating under a fir tree on a south facing slope. They were robins. I couldn't initially make out their red breasts, but I could tell by the distinctive way they walk; scurry and stop, scurry and stop. It has been a long time since I've seen a robin.

The change in the weather has motivated me out of my wintertime torpor. Got up early to participate in an early morning exercise class on PBS. Went out to get the paper before it started. The sky was dark and clear. First thing I saw was the constellation Scorpius low in the southern sky. I looked around and spotted Cygnus, the Northern Cross. These are summer constellations! I haven't seen them in a long time. It will be months before they are available during the evening viewing hours, but there they were. Highs near 40 today, 50 tomorrow, and near 60 on Friday.

night sky

Coming home from the Zen Center the other night about 10. The sky was crystal clear. Went inside to turn out the outside lights and haul out the binoculars to have a look. The winter constellations Orion and the Pleiades were setting in the west. The spring constellation Leo was rising in the east. Got a good look at Gemini and the Beehive Cluster overhead.


Joe Brimacombe on Flickr

When you start to see the constellations and other night objects in relation to the seasons of the year, the universe becomes a part of your neighborhood; like the big blue house down the road or the sounds of the birds. The night sky is ever-changing and never changing, just like everything else.

magnolia

Buds swelling on the magnolia tree at the ZC. In May it will look like this.

Cabin fever part 1

Town meeting was last night. It was memorable mostly because the moderator, Mary Mitiguey, is a woman. We were remarking on the way home that that's got to be a first in the history or our town. She did a great job.

Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.
Martin Luther King

I hope he's right.

Anyway, I was getting dressed this morning, getting ready to meet the day, and I saw a flash of orange/red in a maple tree across the creek. Could be a cardinal, I said to myself. I've seen a lot of those lately, but, could it be...a robin; the first of the year? I ran to the kitchen to get my binoculars. I didn't have anything to write about today. If it's a robin, that would make for great subject matter. I hope it doesn't fly away in the meantime.

When I got back to the bedroom, it was still there. I focused in on the redness and saw that it wasn't a robin, not even a cardinal. It was a reddish maple leaf left over from the fall. I scanned the entire tree, it's a big one, and couldn't find another leaf remaining. It was the only one. Temperatures in the teens and single numbers at night through the rest of the week, but moderating to more seasonable numbers for the weekend. It's about time.

thermodynamics

The annual course in thermodynamics is now being taught here on the other side of the creek. You don't need a book. All you need to do is look around. Light, shade, snow, dark objects, topography, manifest the properties of heat and cold better than any textbook.

The crystal day

Blue sky, fresh powder. crystals of ice and flakes of snow blowing in the air for most of the day; like scrapings of sunlight/stardust that somehow found their way to my back yard.

It was a great day to take a walk in the woods which is what I did.

Allyn went skiing.

It was beautiful snow and covered everything.

Mysterious tracks in the snow, maybe a rabbit?

There is an old road in the back that I cleared, mostly for Allyn, in the fall. At the time I thought that guaranteed a snowless winter. I was happy today that she was able to use it.

I saw her on her return trip. She said, "I can't stop." as she skied by.

Crows murmuring to themselves back by the vernal pool which is covered with ice and snow. Spring seems a long ways away.

The reflection of the sun off the snow was very warm on the return trip. I had to unzip my jacket. Wind blowing snow from tree branches. It slowly and softly fell to the earth like eiderdown.