Spring? Or is it Just a Fever?

A robin was singing this morning before the sun came up and a lot of the snow is gone-except for that in deep shade or the banks where it has been piled over winter. April has not been a very springy month here with frequent snowfalls and many cool, cloudy days so now I’m really hoping things have turned around. During the miserable weather I was finally motivated to start sorting through the detritus of 40 years in the basement-a dirty, musty uninspiring job! However, even doing that I cannot be swift and brutal in consigning stuff to the trash or bonfire. I have to give everything at least a quick glance. Twenty-year-old income tax receipts remind me of when I bought this or that machine or appliance. Twenty-year-old stubs from calf sales remind me that cattle prices have risen-but not much. Not compared to the cost of electricity which has risen from about $200 for three months to closer to $300 for one month! I think I had better give that job up for a while before I get too depressed and enjoy the outdoors. For many years I cut all my own firewood but about three years of knee and ankle surgeries and their recovery time kept me away from my trusty chain saw. This week I was back at cutting down trees. Okay, I confess, they were small, dead spruces in the back of the yard, only about 20 feet tall, but they needed to be out of there, make excellent wood, and give me much-needed exercise. The cattle business had a great surge one day last week when six calves were born in 24 hours! That was excellent. All were healthy and sassy and got about the business of living and eating with no interference. We are now back to the waiting game. Several other cows are looking “prosperous.”