Finneran: Spring Winks
Friday, February 22, 2019
Spring itself is yawning and winking, like a bride on her honeymoon.
It’s true that our recent snowstorms have added a blanket or two to our daydreams. But there’s no keeping Spring down. She’s emerging.
Evidence you say? Let’s start with last week, before Sunday night’s snowfall. It’s still been cold enough to wear winter hats and gloves but surely you’ve see the robins picking sites and building their nests. You can’t fool robins. They know what’s going on. Even in February.
No doubt that you’ve heard the male cardinals---they’re the bright red ones---singing away in pursuit of their mates. They are daylight Pavarottis, diligent, unstinting, untiring. They’ll make good husbands and fathers.
On Monday morning, after Sunday night’s snowfall and while the storm was still dumping a few more inches and coating roads, a local male perched high on a heavily laden tree and serenaded the entire neighborhood. What a sound. What a sight.
Come evening, the owls replace the cardinals. Apparently, Nature admits of no rest. As night follows day, the well-rested owls follow the now-resting cardinals. It’s a version of Woodstock, with twenty-four hours of music. I’ve been hearing the owl calls for at least three weeks now. Love is in the air!
How about those sunsets? How about those sunrises? Each day is a little bit longer than the day before. And every new minute adds excitement to the seasonal march. I’m an early riser so I watch the morning sky. Those early Spring sunrises put a bounce in your step. And the sunsets? Well, it’s now comfortably after 5:00 PM when the sun drops in the Western sky with its gorgeous promise of tomorrow. Surely you’ve noticed the change. Back in December old Sol set bleakly at about 4:20 in the afternoon dropping a depressing blanket of darkness. Sol’s now hanging out with us until about 5:30 and I’m loving it.
Two added bonuses for your consideration----
First, we’ll move the clocks ahead for an extra hour of evening daylight fairly soon. In fact, we’ll do that in just sixteen days! Mark your calendars---March 10th--- and once again enjoy your family suppers in sunshine.
Second, and not apropos of anything to do with Spring’s arrival, did you catch the full moon this week? I saw it setting in the West early one morning, a truly magnificent sight. The only sight which might have surpassed it would be its rising in the East, seemingly emerging from the ocean itself. Admittedly, the full moon has nothing to do with the arrival of Spring, but its sheer majesty binds us to our little blue planet and its many wonders.
Just watch and listen---Nature is at work and Spring winks.
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