Its Officially Spring!!!!!

Blizzard

I saw patches of dark brown dirt peeking up through the snow.  This is a clear indication of spring around here.  It doesn't take long for the snow to melt and the whole place turn into a muddy bog.  Just a few weeks ago, we hand a nasty blizzard hit that dropped several feet of snow around the village, on my porch and enough was blown against doors that the doors were completely covered.

This past Thursday

When a blizzard like that occurs, you cannot see much.  This past Thursday, the storms had moved on,  leaving us with a beautifully sunny day so clear you could see the mountains in the distance.  The lake was still iced over completely and the snow was just starting to melt and get soft.  Almost a snow cone soft before its compacted.

Today

Today, the lake ice is under 6 inches of water (I made the mistake of going across it but never again till next fall.)  It was soft enough, I thought the ice might crack.  Thank goodness, it did not.  The snow for the most part is turning to slush in certain parts of the village and there are places where the underlying support has disappeared.  You don't know until you sink down to your knee or thigh.

It doesn't help the city plowed the roads down to the mud.  They pushed the snow off to the sides making 15 foot tall mounds that kids are playing on.  The kids find these mounds almost hypnotic in that they cannot leave them alone.

The latest guess is that by early next week, the ice on the lake will be gone, the roads will all be mud, and the people who fancy themselves extreme athletes will be gunning their snow machines across the water in the hopes they can make it all the way without finding them selves neck deep in water.

You read that right.  Once the lake melts, friends and I will stand on the front porch and place bets on which person will make it all the way across and which one will have to be pulled out.  Its fun to watch them try to skip their machines across.  I'm not sure who holds the record for the most times of sinking in one day.

Years ago, I had a friend who as soon as they felt spring had arrived, they sat out on the front porch on a chair and enjoyed a hot cup of tea. It didn't matter the temperature was below zero.  It didn't matter the wind was blowing enough to cut through your coat and make you feel as if you were a walking Popsicle.  She didn't care.  To her, spring meant it was time to be outside, enjoying the "warm" weather.  When I need to enjoy spring, I put a gardening DVD on and watch it.