Mornings are earlier now (at least until we shift to DST), and even three weeks before the vernal equinox, there are small sins of the coming spring. Apart from the spring bulbs starting to poke their heads through the still frozen ground. Coming out of their torpor, small animals are beginning to move about, the – not exactly fragrance – of the neighborhood skunk permeating the air.
The Duke Farms Eagle Cam has now caught two fluffy chicks and the project monitor says there is a pip on a third egg. You can even watch their progress as they grow and hopefully thrive. The year round birds are starting to search for places to build their nests, which are often exposed since the trees are bare of leaves.
We’ll have some winter-like days during March, to be sure, but temperatures are slowly moderating, so instead of the snows of February, we’ll have slush and mud. It’s time to prune the butterfly bushes, but we need to carefully watch that there aren’t any signs of life on the stems. Not quite time to clean the garden of leaves and twigs, but soon, soon
Prayer for the Day
Holding your promise of new life in our hearts, O God,
We anticipate the coming of spring and its beauty;
But we know that we must first enter a time of reflection,
A season of thoughtful action and care.
Awaken In us the grace to share our lives with others,
As we strive to be faithful witnesses to your call.
In the name of the One who embraces us,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.
Hal Borland, American journalist, naturalist (1900-1978)
March is a month of considerable frustration – it is so near spring and yet across a great deal of the country, the weather is still so violent and changeable that outdoor activity n our yards seems light years away.
Thalassa Cruso, garden book writer and presenter (1909-1997)
Ask rain from the Lord, in the season of the spring rain,
From the Lord who makes the storm clouds
Who gives showers of rain to you,
The vegetation in the field to everyone.
Zechariah 10: 1