Here at the Palatial Horvath Estate, the catkins on the pussy willows are full to bursting, the forsythia have started to bloom with golden splendor, and the robins are busy building nests in both the forsythia and the pussy willow.
Yes, okay, the winter juncos are still here, but the red-winged blackbirds are showing their red shoulder patches and singing to entice the ladies. Ducks from the nearby pond have started pairing up, waddling two-by-two for take-out at my bird feeders. This morning a love sick mallard quacked a NEVER ENDING song to the object of his affection right under my bedroom window.
That’s right. It’s spring.
With all due respect to Punxatawny Phil, it seemed like spring took a while to get here this year. I asked Pennsylvania Paul – he’s the groundhog under my shed – for his opinion, but he just grunted something profane. Well, he’s taking a break from weather forecasting to spruce up his den. I do believe Pennsylvania Paul might have a little wooing on his mind.
I like spring. Specifically, I like early spring in Pennsylvania. We’re just on the cusp; you can feel it as soon as you walk outside. The sun is shining for a little longer, the days are a little warmer (or, today, a lot warmer). Everything is gearing up, building towards the mad dash of re-generation that happens so miraculously every year. It’s vibrating there – right under the surface, ready to pop.
In the next day or two or three, plants will suddenly start growing a mile a minute, trees will bud, weeds will come back to life, bugs will multiply. Nature is on her mark, and in just a short time she’ll be off and racing. Birds! Buds! Leaves! Flowers! The pollen will coat my car and my sinuses. The love sick ducks quacking under my windows won’t be so cute anymore. Then the baby ducks will start coming to my feeders and they’ll be cute again.
We’re right there. We’ve been balancing, teetering on the edge for a long time. But the forsythia are blooming now. I think they might have just pushed us over.
Get ready, Pennsylvania – here comes spring! Ready or not! One…two…three… LIFE!
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