The flowers are finally emerging. The poor daffodils had popped up two months ago, only to be frozen and snowed on numerous times, but at last they have a chance to open their blossoms. Some wildflowers also emerged overnight. Maybe, just maybe, spring or summer has finally arrived.
Finally Spring
I think spring has been skipped over this year. The crocuses must have bloomed under the snow since I never saw any blossoms but the later bulbs are blooming. So it is going from winter to summer as today there is still a little snow but I already had a woodtick attached to me and a mosquito tried to bite me saying summer is here. The air is so moist from the melting snow that several times during the day the clouds had mini rainbows in them. They reminded me of northern lights even if I was looking south.
Rainbow Clouds
The birds are singing up a storm this morning especially this Brown Thrasher. I think they are happy the snow is melting and things are turning green again. Brown Thrashers are accomplished songsters that may sing more than 1,100 different song types and include imitations of other birds, including Chuck-will’s-widows, Tufted titmice, Northern Cardinals, Wood Thrushes, and Northern Flickers. Some sources state that it has up to 3,000 song chants. All I know is that he can get very loud but at least he doesn’t get off key too often.
Singing Brown Thrasher
The bluebirds are probably wondering why they came north when it keeps snowing in May but at least the snow has melted off the branches so they have a dry place to perch. Most years they would have their nest built and sitting on eggs by now but it has been rather chilly for that. I did see a pair of bluebirds checking out the birdhouses before the last snow.
The male Eastern Bluebird ‘shows off’ at his nest cavity to attract a female. He brings nest material to the hole, goes in and out, and waves his wings while perched above it. That is pretty much his contribution to nest building; only the female Eastern Bluebird builds the nest and incubates the eggs. But at least he does bring food to the babies so that the female doesn’t have to do all the work.
Chilly Bluebird
A few weeks ago, I sent my relatives a picture of showing how deep the snow was when I opened the garage door. And since the picture showed the inside the garage, one of my sweet, lovable aunts replied “For heaven sake, what is that shovel doing hanging on the wall. Shouldn’t that owner have been using it?”
Well that owner has been using it and used it too much this winter as I wore off several inches off the bottom of the poor worn out shovel. And I haven’t even shoveled all the snow from the last snow; the May snow.
Worn Out Shovel
This weather is not even for the birds, not with this much snow in May! The robins have had their tails snowed on more than three times already so where in the heck is spring!
Where is Spring?
Apparently when I turned the calendar yesterday, I must have turned it to December instead of May because with the eighteen inches of new snow, it looks more like winter than May!
Winter in May
May 1st, often called May Day, just might have more holidays than any other day of the year. It’s a celebration of Spring. It’s a day of political protests. It’s a neopagan festival, a saint’s feast day, and a day for organized labor. In many countries, it is a national holiday.
There are many traditions for May Day, depending on what country one is in, including the May Pole and in some parts of the United States, May Baskets are made. These are small baskets usually filled with flowers or treats and left at someone’s doorstep. The giver rings the bell and runs away. The person receiving the basket tries to catch the fleeing giver. If they catch the person, a kiss is exchanged.
Well this year, the May Baskets would be filled with treats and no flowers as this one stem is the only flower I found blooming at my place this morning.
May Day
Well it seems that it wasn’t only kids playing hooky yesterday, as there was a small group of ducks playing in the pond yesterday. The Blue-winged Teal ducks were swimming and were napping in the warm sun. It was interesting watching one of the male ducks tuck its head on its back and go to sleep but the wind was strong enough, that it was pushing the floating duck to the other side of the pond. He would wake up and swim back to the other side and then settle down for another nap and ride.
When evening approached, then the some ducks explored the pond for food while others were bobbing their heads up in the mating ritual but it appeared some of the males weren’t too popular with the girls.
Blue-winged Teal Ducks
With several nice days, most of the snow has melted and it feels good to be able to finally open the windows after a long winter. I think everyone, including the critters, has spring fever and I bet the kids would rather play hookey and play outside in the sunshine than to be stuck in a classroom today.
But I think this old school hasn’t had any children playing hooky in a long time. When I drove past it yesterday, I could picture kids, with their metal lunch pails, eating lunch and playing outside during recess. But now the sounds of laughing children have vanished from the school yard and its memories crumbling away like the building and soon will be erased from the landscape.
Old Rural Schoolhouse
