Thursday, March 3, 2011

Is it spring yet?

I am ready for spring! There was one morning last week, where I stepped outside and the air was warmer than I expected, (above zero) and I could almost smell soil, dirt, the ground that is buried way down there somewhere. I thought, spring! I forget about the absence of scents outdoors in the winter. The farm doesn't smell, not when everything is frozen. I dreamed that I was hearing the songs that the chickadees sing only on spring mornings. We are gaining around seven minutes of light each day. Each morning I am surprised at how early it is light out. At evening I find myself looking at the clock and thinking; is it really this late? Shouldn't it be dark by now?

Yesterday as I drove into town the sun was so high and intense. The warmth seeped into my skin. I had to put my sunglasses on. Everywhere was sun. Sun glaring off the shiny metal buildings and white snow banks. The roads are icy and slick. I thought, isn't this what spring is - in Fairbanks?

I'm watching the goats belly's grow heavy and thick with kids, their udders filling with milk. I looked back at last years posts on goat kids this morning. Spring is: goat babies, collecting eggs for setting, bags of seedling mix and tinier bags of seeds, the smells of thawing manure, a warm day followed by a cold one and the sun; most importantly, the sun, full of promise and certainty.

8 comments:

Buttons Thoughts said...

Emily Yes spring is coming and I am also getting anxious. B

Miranda @ Pressing On said...

I'm just dying for spring here. THe sunshine is incredibly beautiful and bright, so it's hard to realize that's it's still -10 outside. Yikes.

I can't wait for the real spring, when temps stay at least in the 30's so going outside isn't such a struggle. I've never wanted spring so badly, but I assume that comes with experiencing the first long winter here. :)

Emily said...

Miranda, the sun is almost a bit deceiving in that it appears to be so nice out, and the warmth coming through the windows, then the reality of ten below once you get out and find you are not bundled well enough. The warm days are a tease, as they make the cold days seem colder. The hardest part about our winters is not the amount of snow, nor storms, wind or even the extreme cold - it is how long they last. We've almost made it.

Janet White said...

Emily, I just discovered your website and I love it! I have a website also that started because I inherited a lot of diaries and notebooks full of recipes and information about living like our elders did. I was wondering if it was okay to share your website with my readers? You can check it out for yourself (to approve it). http://seekingabundance.net/
THANKS... deborah

Emily said...

Deborah, feel free to link to or otherwise share my blog. I'm currently working on building a website that is better organized and just informative, without out all the chatter. I checked out your site briefly - looks like we have similar interests. Take care, Emily

Unknown said...

I'm with you, Emily - SO ready for spring! We've been having some nice, sunny days, and I keep getting suckered into going out to do chores wearing only my jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. As soon as I stand still for a few minutes, I end up running back into the house for my Carhartt jacket. I will be so glad to shed those heavy, bulky (but very warm!) jacket and overalls!

I can smell spring - it's coming!

Tonya Gunn said...

We are so ready for spring here too - now to get the four feet of snow to begin to melt...
Warm wishes,
Tonya

Kymberly Foster Seabolt said...

I couldn't agree more. I'll be following you and looking forward to more.

We have three goats but, unlike you, I know nothing about them beyond Brown, grey, and white - and very sweet.