Reggie and Tansy, our two, sweet goatsI love the seasons. It's true, other parts of the country offer things that I haven't found here, California with its host of organic restaurants (I haven't eaten out in many years!). Or Arizona, specifically Sedona, with its spiritual community. New Mexico with its sultry heat and history. But, I figure I'm a New Englander for life. What would I do without the heat and humidity of summer? The cool, crisp, refreshing breezes of autumn? The long, cozy, dark nights of winter? And most especially the promise of spring, eternally hopeful, fresh and overflowing with promise. We're facing the inevitability of that season right now, and it is delicious to anticipate.
Bubay, hand raised by my daughter, he rules the roost!We've had some signs. Every day the sun sets incrementally later. I've been reacquainted with the local flock of turkeys, their frantic gobbling spilling through the morning air. As far as I know turkeys don't migrate, but I haven't heard them in months, and their calls were cause for celebration. Ditto for the coyotes my husband heard howling and yipping the other morning, definitely one of my most favorite warm weather sounds. I've been hearing 'spring' birds singing and calling during my morning meditation, although I have yet to see a flock of fat, happy robins dotting my front yard. Then, of course there is the mud. Tons of ankle deep, dark, thick mud everywhere, turning our driveway into a quagmire from which we may never emerge. And since the frozen ground cannot yet accept the thousands of gallons of melting snow... water in the basement. So, it might not all be pleasant, but I'll take it, because this is spring in all its glory.
My rat, BellaAnd then, the other day I received word direct from the beak of a creature with insider information. Wednesday afternoon was 'cage cleaning' day in my home. It's a production, there are tons of animal cages to refresh with clean, fragrant bedding. Rats, mice, bunnies, chickens, goats... let's just say I'm glad there are 4 of us to divide these jobs among! I had finished the goat shed and moved on to the chickens when a surprise greeted my eyes. One perfect, beautiful egg. An unavoidable sign. How do I know that spring is coming? Well, my chicken told me...