Promise of spring . . .

50 degrees today, and sunny! There is a hint of spring in the air. Winter had better get back down to business or I'm going to get used to this idea of spring. I fear it is too early for this lovely weather to last . . .

I want to get to Shagbark and have a look see. In late March to early April, I may find the dainty Dutchman's Britches that I've always wanted. I'll mark the spot so each spring I can be waiting there to catch and enjoy the first bloom. I will look for Bloodroot and later, Mayapples. If I am lucky, perhaps there are Dog Tooth violets and Jack in the Pulpit. What other native plants will I find nestled in the timber or entrenched in the meadow -- what native treasures will I be able to share with the grandloveys? What song of the bird will they learn to know, to awaken to each morning? Will they see deer? and fox? -- possum and squirrel?

While the earth is awakening and warming, the birds moving north, the buds swelling on the trees and shrubs, I feel the urge to begin my new nest.