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Among the growing grass littered with tiny flowers, where it’s quiet and dewy, violence occurred. All that was left as testament to the life of a rabbit was bits of velvety brown fur; of a songbird, bright yellow feathers, strewn upon the ground.
A few days ago, it felt as if spring might never come…that the cold, wet, and gloom were here to stay, seeping into the very soul. The dour gray sky seemed to press downward with indifference for human discomfort.
With the return of the sun, however, the pall has lifted, and the atmosphere is celebratory: birds are singing and making nests, the grass is greening up, chickens and ducks are laying eggs, and Nature seems (like me) to be smiling today. Though it’s technically still winter, just the suggestion of brighter days is enough to encourage hope to rise like the sap in the silver maple tree. Think spring!
Periodically, the geese fly out of their enclosure and have a jaunt through the pastures. The tracks in the snow tell a tale of the gaggle having a rather circuitous hike through snowy fields – and, thankfully, returning as though they’d never left at all.
The ice storm arrived, as forecast, yesterday afternoon. By dusk (evening chores), a thick layer of slushy ice pellets lay upon the ground, accompanied by continued falling sleet and rain. This morning, the world around us looked very different…and very cold.
Wild rabbits had clearly been out and about after dusk last night, leaving their traces around the main chicken coop, around the barn, and through the pastures. Their prints are distinctive and, if you didn’t know what creature had left them, they might leave you puzzled. This time of year, I don’t see them during daylight hours, so it’s good to know they’re still around!
It snowed recently – just an inch or so – but it was the kind of snow that makes even the ordinary (or poorly-lit and muddy) look, briefly, extraordinary. It also tells stories of real drama and intrigue, of unseen passersby looking for a meal on a cold night.