Today is the Day

This is it!!!
This is the day that Spring arrived in our corner of the world.

How can I tell it was today, not yesterday or the day before?

How do I know it isn’t arriving tomorrow?

There are certain signs of spring that are unmistakable.From my loft window I can see the deep winey orange-red of the first blossoms on the maple trees. A brilliant contrast against the deep blue of the sky and the dark colors of the evergreen trees.

Flats of seeds are sprouting under the grow lights in the basement. Lettuce, basil, parsley, sage, thyme, marjoram, tomatoes, peppers, delphinium, foxgloves, marigolds, coreopsis. Chipmunks have come out of their warm dry nests and are filling their cheek pouches to the bursting point, racing back and forth up and down the hill - considering the way they rush one would think they were having to prepare dinner for unexpected horde of guests.

When I saw that the maple buds had opened, I knew it was time to wander to the back side of the hill and search the club mosses for the buds or blooms of the Trailing arbutus. At first glance all I could see were shiny dark green leaves. But this search demands close inspection - nearly impossible as one ages to get down on hands and knees to search - luckily that wasn’t necessary today. A bright ray of sunlight picked out the blush of pink under the dark leaves. Ah, it must be spring.
Robins are scratching through the tiny new shoots of grass, searching for the worms that are waking and stretching in the first warm days.
Crocus decorate the walkway with a purple edging along the stairs into the lower woods.
One of the things I like best about crocus is that most of the critters leave them alone so they are beginning to naturalize in the garden.
Sixty degrees, bright blue sky and puffy clouds sailing past on gentle breezes add to the sense that spring has arrived. But the ultimate sign of spring is that Phoebes are calling from a dead branch of a large White Pine and perching on the power line just outside my kitchen window.