Somewhere, Spring

Somewhere not too far away to the south, the green sprouts of Spring break through the still-cold ground. From my younger years, I remember a book about the "Root Children" which showed the little boys and girls clad in deep bright Spring-time flower bud colors ~ being gently awakened from their underground beds by a grandmotherly-looking Mother Nature ~ to begin their annual journey upward.

The several illustrations for this story were created in a dreamy, filmy, yet very vivid watercolor style. And the "Root Children" looked so cozy in their thick quilt-covered wooden nature beds ~ in a just-as-cozy room under a large tree within its massive knarled roots ~ that I felt sorry for them that they had to be awakened ~ but glad at the same time, as they promised the bright sprouts and flowers of the soon-coming Spring.

Spring is on the gentle mountain breezes, Winter still in the fierce March winds which blow from time to time. And on some bright days it seems as if Spring has already arrived.

Bare trees examined closely show the leaf buds already forming on some, and soon ~ perhaps not soon enough for some ~ they will be covered in the small light green leaves finally giving way to the heavy cover of Summer.

Huge sunshine yellow sprays of Forsythia will soon embellish our rooms, with generous bouquets of apple and cherry blossoms as well. Oriental style arrangements of delicate Dogwood blossoms and Pussy Willow will precede the later blooming aromatic Lilacs which emit their heavenly scent throughout the entire house.

Always around the Easter holidays, I am lured successfully by pots of Hyacinths and bury my nose in the fragrant blooms while they are still on display in the stores. After growing and fully blooming and sharing their wonderfully intoxicating aroma, they are planted outdoors as additions to the perennial beds. This is an annual occurence as I cannot resist getting new pots of them for inside the house each year ~ and luckily we have the room to expand the outdoor beds as needed.

Each year we look forward to the Easter weekend and Easter Dinner which to us is also a celebration of the coming Spring ~ the joyful welcoming of a Season of Promise, the Renewed Year. In the meantime, we closely watch for the heralding blooms of the Snow Drops and colorful Crocuses to remind us once more that Spring has not forgotten us this year.

And anxiously wait for a proper breeze-filled March day to journey to a hilltop field and send our kites soaring towards the distant clouds.

Well into my adult years and even now, I have always wondered if the "Root Children" had little cups of hot tea after arising. A cup of hot herbal tea sounds good right now ~ to ward off the chill of yet another windy March night.


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An Old-Fashioned Winter

It has been one of those old-fashioned winters, the closest we have had to one in several years.

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The Arctic Clipper having moved back north days ago, we have been getting snow and ice from the south and the west as well as from the Great Lakes, the never-failing Lake Effect Snow, as it is known.
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The most recent front, from the west, left folks in Kentucky and other states with enough ice to take down power lines and to wreak general havoc with their everyday lives. With the mountainous terrain in some parts of the state, it will take them a long time to recover.
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Our weather here has not been as severe although the possibility yet exists that we may experience it with the weather front still moving east.

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There is always the possibility of a severe ice storm in weather such as this.

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It does not take long to form, it only requires the juncture of several "perfect" conditions ~ moisture and temperature reaching a critical stage, producing a sudden "flash" freeze.
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There is hardly anything more beautiful or infinitely dangerous than a severe ice storm, a sheer fantasy land to gaze upon ~ however with the weight of the ice bringing down branches, whole trees and power lines in its wake.
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With the most severe ones, one can stand outside at their own peril and see the branches and trees snapping under the weight of the ice, the sounds like rifle shots echoing throughout the day and night.

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You can hear these sounds whether inside and out ~ and it can be quite un-nerving at times as you wonder whether the six-story ancient pine tree near the house will hold or come crashing through the rafters at some point.

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Putting aside the danger and chaos factor, it is a truly amazing glittering marvel masterpiece of Nature to see ~ with the ice coating anything and everything in its path.

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We have had flags furled in the wind which froze up solid in mid-furl, quite a sight to behold and a rare occurence indeed.
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Those without a secondary heat source, such as fireplace or woodstove, find themselves taking refuge in fire halls and schools and other emergency shelters until the power is restored.

We have aways had the utmost empathy for folks such as these as during such an ice storm is also one of the very worst times to travel, even if only short distances.
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We have secondary heat sources, a supply of antique oil lamps with new wicks and clean workings and fuel and food which can be cooked in a fireplace as well as on a stove.
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In the last couple of days, the main ice build-up was on the roads.
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Closings of all sorts ran on local news throughout the day.

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Very few road maintainance trucks seemed even to venture out until it warmed a bit as with nearly constant precipitation ~ ranging from snow to sleet to rain and back to snow again ~ any attempts to clear the roads during those times would have been self-defeating.
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The temperatures however have been in the low twenties and thirties, dropping into the 'teens at night ~ and so the weather overall has been bearable, although some planned traveling again had to be delayed.

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A predicted "fluffy inch" turns instead to four inches ~ or eight.

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In another day's time, the infamous groundhogs will make their predictions, said to be based on the Farmer's Almanac in reality although it would be hard to prove.
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Nonetheless, the seed and flower catalogs have begun to arrive.
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And Winter ~ glorious and at times outright treacherous ~ will give way in only several weeks' time to the wondrous Spring.

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