Signs of Spring

It's that time of year when the very passage of time is greeted as a friend.  Spring is a week away on the calendar, but the smell of melting snow is in the air, mud is on the ground, and sap is rising in the trees.  Yes, the ice fishing huts have just disappeared from the lakes and rivers, and yes, it's been less than a week since I was rescued from the snowbank by a tow truck, but even so, spring is undisputedly on the way.  Zac even spotted the first migratory birds of the season today - a red-winged blackbird on the way to church this morning, and a couple of grackles on the way home.  And so, with that hope in our hearts, we'll curl up by the woodstove with the hatchery catalogues and the gardening magazines for a few more weeks...