Drip, Drip, Drip

I walked around the neighborhood today to listen to spring coming on.  The robins are here in force now and chirruping to let us know about it.  The cardinals are calling.  I call back at them and we start a calling war. I make sure I walk past the yards of the city's best gardens and sure enough the first crocuses are blooming.  So are the snowdrops behind the library.  

Above everything I hear drip, drip, drip. The snow is melting off the roof tops and along the sidewalks.  Where before I had to dodge ice patches, I now dodge puddles. It is warmer now but wet feet can still be very cold indeed. 

I drive to Shiocton to see what is going on in the marshes. There is more ice now than the last time I was there but there is still some open water. The sandhill cranes are there.  I can't see them because they hide in the old reeds but I can hear their guard calls.  An eagle floats above.  It must be one of  the eagles from the nest over at Kringle Road.  They probably are already sitting on eggs, taking turns.  One hunts while the other sits.  

In a nearby field there are dozens of turkeys.  It must have been an easier winter than we thought during the cold of January and February because I have never seen so many turkeys in my life.  Almost every field has at least several. 

I come home feeling spring.  Because of the early Easter, I originally thought I wouldn't decorate because of the snow, but I change my mind and begin to hang the colored plastic eggs from the bushes. The bright colors are another part of spring. I will put up an Easter lily banner tomorrow.  

The long range weather forecast says warmer and warmer weather until we reach 50s by April 1.  Could we still have snow?  Absolutely, but I doubt that any of it will stick for long.