When the Sun Shines Bright

On this morning of daylight savings I walk through our woods alive with the brilliance of sound. A downy woodpecker carves a tree amongst the beech, maple, oak and birch. Nearby the early birds of spring triumphantly proclaim that they have returned through manic flight and song as they dash to and fro amongst the skeletons of berry bramble. My young beagle and old terrier, on the leash, parade with tails in the air and their nose to the ground as the frozen forest path serenades them with a banquet of tantalizing smells and sounds. In this moment they are both pups again, alive with possibility of the new season.

Snowdrops begin to stretch their tiny green limbs while yawning from beneath the leftover winter snow. I, like them, turn my face toward the warm sun searching for spring. There is no breeze as I stand among the slowly waking forest, a frame of Mother Nature’s grand picture.

Today, along with my children, I will explore the thawing mud of the garden while plotting the summer bed of each delicate seed. Eventually I will climb our apple tree limb by limb with cold red hands and prune the branches in hopes of bounty. Spring the purveyor of dreams is here!

Tobias Whitaker blogs for Mother Earth News and Grit Magazine. Click on the Mother Earth News logo at the bottom of the page for all of his post. You can also find him on Facebook at Seed To Harvest: Bossy Hen Homestead  https://www.facebook.com/seedtoharvestbossyhenhomestead/ which is a central location for his homesteading blogs and his homeschooling blog, A Mile In Her Shoes: Tales Of A Stay-At Home Dad found here https://amileinhershoestalesofastayathomedad.wordpress.com/