Thursday, March 20, 2008

Is it Spring Yet?

"I was in the woods with my boyfriend, Ernie...." Oh. Wait. That's not what I wanted to say...that's a dirty Sophie Tucker joke!



The Bag Lady and the Cowboy went for their first spring stroll in the pasture last evening. The snow is almost all gone, and what is left is quite icy, so between that and the big, brown, squishy "rocks", we had to watch our footing!





It was actually quite pleasant, and made the Bag Lady very hopeful that spring is almost here. We will probably get at least one more big snow storm, which will add moisture to the ground, but the days are longer and the sun is stronger, so spring can't delay too much longer.



Last year at this time, there was still a three-foot deep snow pack with a crust hard enough that we could walk on top of it. In fact, it was deep enough and solid enough that we could easily step over the top wire of a 3-wire high barbed wire fence (which, in the summer, hits the Bag Lady around hip-height).

We walked all the way to the edge of our pasture and the Bag Lady was pleased to note that she could actually see the old fella who has been sleeping the "big sleep" in the swamp on the other side of the fence for several years now.


This moose skull has been lying here for at least 4 years, maybe longer; probably dragged here by a coyote. It is old and weathered, and would probably be the kind of thing that some people want to put on their walls in their rustic, "country" house. The Bag Lady thinks he should just stay where he is, lying undisturbed under a willow tree.

He is the Bag Lady's indicator of spring. She knows it's almost spring when he reappears. Regardless of what the calendar says, the Bag Lady has other methods of judging the seasons.

Has spring arrived where you live?

18 comments:

Reb said...

Happy Spring Sis! Good post, but you may have to finish the Sophie tucker joke for the young ones that read your blog! Spring... well, I don't have any streams to listen to, but the drains are running and I haven't seen any bunnies yet, but I am sure they are around. I have had the windows open, so yes, I guess spring is here.

the Bag Lady said...

Hi, sis, and happy spring to you, too.
The Bag Lady is getting so old, she can't remember the end of that particular joke....:) And besides, this isn't that kind of blog!! (hehehehehe)

Anonymous said...

Yes it is spring - the wind almost knocked me off my feet :-)

Missicat

Hilary said...

Cool sign of spring. The antlers are sitting at just such an angle.. I figure it must have been a hypotemoose. ;)

Leah J. Utas said...

dfBagLady - I can't recall the joke so maybe send it along in an email someday when it comes back to you? Please?

It feels Springy out and I swear I heard a robin singing yesterday.
I'm itching to start playing in the garden and the other day we saw some fresh dandelion greens sprouting beside a building downtown.
I want to go for nice long bike rides, too, a sure sign of the season.

Love the moose indicator.

Carpe Diem said...

As I look out my window, my car is covered in frost and there is a meter of snow in my yard... yet I remain hopeful!

Actually spring has arrived in town and I did see robin there over the weekend (and most of the snow has melted there too.)

the Bag Lady said...

Missicat - the wind isn't blowing here today - yet. But the last couple of days, it has been pretty wicked!

Hilary - you crack me up, as always!

dfLeah -..."He said to me, Soph (he always calls me Soph), 'it sure is dark in these woods...I sure wish I had a flashlight!' I said to him, 'So do I, Ernie. You've been munching grass for the last ten minutes!' "
At least, the Bag Lady thinks that's how it goes....Reb can probably correct it, if it's wrong.

the Bag Lady said...

Carpe diem - there was frost on the truck windows here this morning, too, but the sun is shining, and it's supposed to go to +3, so we should lose some more snow.

Leah J. Utas said...

Thanks, dfBag Lady. I thought it was something about eating grass.

Reb said...

Yes, that is the rest of it. Although, being younger than both of you I shouldn't even know that type of joke! ;)

Emily said...

yay for spring!!! Today is slightly cooler but we were out in shorts last weekend...spring has definitly sprung- now pollen season comes! Do y'all have pollen up there?

Scrumpy said...

How's little Milkshake doing? Any other additions lately?

JavaChick said...

Well, the weather has been quite nice here for the past couple of days - though still on the chilly side with the wind blowing. This morning we were getting freezing rain though, which wasn't very nice and my walk to work from the parking garage was a little nerve-wracking with all of the ice (Normally my husband would drop me off at work, but he decided at the last minute to take today off work, so I had to drive myself and walk on the nasty ice - somehow he always manages to take days off when the weather is yucky). It's been raining off & on all day and hasn't warmed up all that much, so I imagine it'll be an interesting walk back to the car as well.

So I'm not really feeling like spring has arrived...

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks, Reb - I wasn't sure 'cause it's been such a long time since I heard it...
Emily - yes, we have pollen season, but it hasn't started yet. We have a lot of poplar trees here that send their seeds flying - sometimes it looks like it's snowing all over again.
SB - no, poor little Milkshake is still the only calf, and spoiled rotten because of it!!
Javachick - saw something on the news about the lousy weather in the East. Husbands really have good timimg sometimes, don't they?

Crabby McSlacker said...

Thank you SO MUCH for finishing the Sophie Tucker joke. Made my morning!

the Bag Lady said...

You're welcome! I love Sophie Tucker - she was hysterically funny.

Anonymous said...

way too springy almost.

it was a record BUT in the 90s last week.

MizFit is a *sweater*


M.

the Bag Lady said...

Crabby - glad you enjoyed it!
Mizfit - that's wa-a-ay too hot for the Bag Lady!