"Out in the country, the pussy willows are fluffing out after their winter sleep, bringing beauty to the trees. The gophers peek out of their winter vacation spots, looking for more soft places in the earth to dig their holes."

Spring is in the air and with it comes the awakening of new life and new beginnings. With the need to refresh our souls from the winter and the troubles in our world we head for a spring day drive to the farm.

The longer April days have vanished the snow that has blanketed the land. Now, in the places where drifts had lain deep, tufts of green grass push up towards the sun.  The deer that regularly mill about our front lawn throughout the night have begun to wander further afield, seeking out tender new growth for nourishment. Out in the country, the pussy willows are fluffing out after their winter sleep, bringing beauty to the trees. The gophers peek out of their winter vacation spots, looking for more soft places in the earth to dig their holes. 

On our route to the farm, we pass by Lane’s Lake, a small lake named for early pioneers in our area. It was parched last fall after a hot, dry summer. Today, runoff from snowdrifts in a nearby pasture has replenished it enough to create a small body of water that’s big enough to be a resting place for hundreds of white cranes pausing on their route south. We stop the truck along the roadside to watch and roll down our windows so we can listen to the chorus of the birds.

When we arrive at the farm, signs of spring are everywhere. A red-breasted robin on a nearby fencepost tilts his head as he sings his morning song. We watch a lively group of new calves, their tails and heels in the air. They chase through the pasture, glad to be out of the confines of the corrals. Nearby their mother’s munch through the remains of the morning feed while keeping an eye on their young ones.

A tomcat passes through the barnyard, reminding me of the many litters of kittens that have lived out their lives in our barn loft. They’re all descendants of the original farm cats that made their home here in our early days on the farm, so many years ago. The original pair are long gone, of course, but their lineage continues in the kittens mewing in the upper sanctum of this barn. 

I scruff the pasture with my foot and loosen some dead grass, revealing the beauty of a simple crocus starting to open. It has survived the long winter months and as it emerges, it brings with it the promise of the coming season. The hope of new beginnings in a world that has endured so much. 

Happy spring, everyone.

- Beth