Bring it on

Might as well accept that spring is here

Having crocus and daffodils blooming at the end of February felt wrong. Now that March is here it's possible to believe that we're experiencing an abnormally early spring, rather than a completely altered calendar due to a disrupted climate. I can start to enjoy the blooms and the exploding greenery, rather than nervously willing the plants to please slow down.

After living for many years in northern New England where spring proceeds like a time-lapse video, I find the slow and subtle unfolding of the season here in the Appalachian foothills miraculous. It's week after week of new and delicate wonders and fresh bursts of color, until the hot weather hits, which inevitably occurs just when the cool weather crops are poised to produce.

Spring peepers are peeping, wood frogs are croaking, and there are egg masses in the vernal ponds. Inside the house another kind of peeper has arrived and is basking under the heat lamp. They will remain in their cozy cardboard condo until their feathers are fully grown in, a process that takes only three weeks or so. During this time they will morph from adorable cuties to awkward and stinky adolescents.

Spring is an incredibly busy time both on the farm and at my off-site day job, so posts might be light on text and heavy on photos. I intend to make good use of the gallery feature in order to cram in as many flower pictures as possible. Buds of trees may figure prominently as well. For now, here are some Lenten roses.