The past three days have been pretty dramatic in terms of a seasonal change. It began with the slightest hint of green here and there. Now there is green everywhere.

I think that I was most attuned to the arrival of this spring as opposed to previous springs because winters are seeming even longer for me than previously. This past one was a slog. It could not have been that cold because we did not blanket the horses. This is something I do when it’s below zero.

I am hearing differing kinds of birds. The smell of spring is in the air, and yes, the smell of cottonwoods predominates. Tonight, when I was out riding Tyra, I saw the first patch of fiddlehead ferns. The ground, I also noticed, is starting to firm up.

Swanson Elementary Tiny Library

The ATVers and dirt bikers were out. Tyra stood still and watched them pass. The trails are still soft, and most likely beyond repair.

I wish that I could suspend time and keep things the way they are now, longer. My analogy is puppyhood. Shadow grew up too fast. I would like to have kept her a puppy for a few years longer.

Well, I say, perhaps we’ll end up getting one more dog, and of course it will start out as a puppy. It would have to be a herding dog. I think it would be fun to own an Australian Kelpie.

I rode and brushed all the horses tonight. I think that I dealt with the last major shed. I hadn’t brushed them for a few days, so there was more hair and dander than there would have been had I been more diligent about brushing them on an ongoing basis.

I haven’t cleaned up the hair on the ground. I instead am leaving it for the birds. This is why so many of them are around. I now stand in the horse hitching post area, and I first listen, then attempt to locate the birds by sound. Today I did this and located the biggest, fattest robin I have ever seen, hopping around in a birch tree.

I found myself wondering about birds – what is it in their DNA that motivates them to pair up? And when they migrate, which is the doing the short hops, as do robins, do the males and females stay in the vicinity of one another? Or do they pair off when it’s time to start thinking about raising a family? I do wonder, and I suppose that I am going to keep wondering because I don’t know anyone who has an answer to these questions.

There was a BLBP informal meeting today – Robert, Pete, and I told the others about the possible lease situation. Everyone seemed to be able to look forward rather than back – a good sign. Tomorrow I will meet with Laura at The Academy Charter School, and we’ll talk about BLBP involvement in the school district literacy program. Maybe there will be some dovetailing.

Next: 137. 5/19/23: Seasonal Frenzy