The quiet of morning.

Normally I do this blogging thing at night. When the dark skies bring a sense of calm, the hubby is all tucked up in his bed and the doggies are gently snoring away. That is when I think I have all my ducks in a row, all thoughts orderly and mannerly and all that is probably completely wrong. But none of that really matters at the moment. It is still relatively early being around 7:30 a.m., I have a hot cup of tea on the bed stand waiting for some moment of reflection so I may sip on it. The one constant in this picture are the dogs gently snoring. Its hard for old dogs to get excited about waking up for more than getting up to go outside, do their 'duty' and come back to bed. That and food are the 2 big thrills in their lives.
I wanted to note the subtle and not so subtle changes on this dirt road for you.
One change, our oldest son Eli was able to come home for a way too short visit. He is in the Navy, going into his 10th year this month and when he is here I don't see a 30 yr old man with an entire life I have no clue about. I see a 10 year old, I see my firstborn, my baby. It was good having him here. His life is full of turmoil at the moment and sometimes when life is like that you need a touchstone. Something from your past that invokes some peace in your soul. Hopefully being among old friends, family and childhood memories helped.
Another change, although not quite as emotional wrenching as say goodbye to Eli, is saying goodbye to the birdfeeders. Once the ground begins to show and the days start to warm up we know that the black bear will start waking up. Bears are not lovely stuffed animals to be hugged and petted. They are wild, they just woke up, their fur is a mess, they have to pee and they are as hungry as all get out. That means bad things could happen. And leaving feeders up no matter how well intentioned just is not a good idea. Birds take seed from feeders, bears break the feeder for the seed. Not good at all.
 So this changes how mornings sound around here. The bluejay gang are off to some other 'diner' for their morning chat. The smaller birds still pop in to see if there are any seeds left in the flower beds or around where the feeders had hung. (No matter how many times I rake or sweep, something gets left behind.) The geese are back and fly overhead like clockwork. And I spotted the one with the bad wing back at his (or her) post on the beaver lodge. 
The newts are starting their foray from the woods to the beaver pond to meet and greet other newts and hopefully increase the population. The first coltsfoot are starting to bloom on the side of the road and surprisingly enough the snow has released its grip and is starting to be just a memory. There still are a couple of places with piles (like behind the house). But even that will be gone shortly.
I was able to hang some laundry out which to me brings spring sharply into focus. When I was a kid we had a dryer but my mom loved to air dry our laundry. We had lines set up from the garage to poles behind it. And to hide the laundry from any prying eyes lilac bushes were planted close by. To me part of childhood comes back when the lilacs are in bloom and I am hanging freshly washed clothes outside. And yes I planted lilacs by my clothesline even though the prying eyes up here are more of the rodent and winged type. Getting that first load hung and seeing the fat buds on those lilacs brings a certain anticipation to the season.
Last but never least in this kaleidoscope of spring are the peepers. Even now there are a few trying to attract a mate by calling out. Evenings are their normal hours of 'dating'. And with the still cool nights action is not so hot on this dirt road. But you give them one evening when the temps stay up a bit and all hell will break loose. There are spots on the dirt road where their 'song' reverberates in your body. There are so many and they are so loud you not only hear them but feel them. And that pretty much describes spring, it is something you see around you, hear around you but also feel around you. It really is a time of birth, rebirth and hope.