Fickle March

Warm/cold, sun/clouds, rain/snow—this week has had it all. Monday was dreary indeed. I had appointments and meetings all day. Every time I went outside, it was raining harder. My feet got wet at 10:30 a.m. and weren’t dry until I took off my shoes and socks when I got home at 7:00 p.m. That sort of day.

Tuesday morning, the rain gauge showed 1.3” of rain. The clouds were gone by mid-morning. Birds greeted the day with song. I’m hearing more cardinals this spring, perhaps because I’m home to listen, now that I’m retired. There were at least three calling back and forth. Like the blackbirds, these messages are probably not a neighborly greeting, but a threatening “Stay out of my territory!” A particularly ambitious male took up a position in the top of the fifth oak. “My spot! My spot! Mine, mine, mine, mine!” (Officially, the call is often described as “What-cheer, what-cheer, wheet, wheet, wheet, wheet.”)

A cardinal claims territory in the top of the fifth oak

The robins are back. I suspected this pair was engaged in a mating ritual, but since males and females look alike, I can’t be sure it wasn’t two males. In any case, one robin would hop a little way, and the other would follow, sometimes closer, sometimes farther away. It was as if the lead robin was playing hard to get and the one following didn’t want to press his luck. Once they flew at each other for just a second and then went back to their little pas de deux.

Robins on the lawn

The creek was muddy from the top soil of corn fields upstream. The water had overflowed the bank and left behind a new deposit of silt.

The creek was muddy after Monday's rain. New silt was deposited along the left bank.

The soil had thawed enough that I was able to straighten the poultry netting around the chicken run. I also put up the second shade shelter, which blew over long ago and lay forlornly on the ground most of the winter. Oh my, that was exciting for the chickens. What is this thing? It might be the best thing ever! Let’s run in circles around it! Chickens always live in the moment.

A new shade shelter! How exciting!

Later in the day, cirrus clouds moved in. The 4^th grade science textbook that Hilda taught from had a picture of clouds like these with the caption “Mare’s tail clouds. Rain or snow may be coming soon.” And that’s what we always say when we see this type of cloud.

Rain or snow may be coming soon

Rain or snow did not follow the cirrus clouds, however. The next days were cloudy but dry. Thursday morning, I saw three deer tearing across the back of the field. I got a picture of the last one after the first two disappeared into the brush.

One of three white-tail deer running into the trees

The water in the creek was nearly clear on Thursday afternoon.

Clear water in the creek

Friday was a lovely sunny day. Terry began hoping that the ground would soon be dry enough that he could get the Gator out. He needed to pick up branches blown down by storms as well as the piles of vines and twigs from pruning the grapes and fruit trees.

Early in the week, snow was in the forecast for Saturday. By Friday, all the snow was supposed to go south. Terry rejoiced! Maybe the Gator could come out by Sunday.

March is such a fickle month! On Saturday afternoon, it started snowing in spite of the forecast. It kept up until the grass was covered, but the pavement remained snow free.  Terry was disappointed. The Gator would have to wait.