It’s been a little freaky having northeast February days hovering around fifty degrees, but I admit it has been nice to get outside in it, even though this weather is most likely global warming right smack in our faces. I suspect it might also a bit of a tease, just hinting at spring before snatching that taste away again and burying us under a couple of feet of snow. It wouldn’t be the first time. We will see. In the meantime, I enjoyed today sitting out on The Urban Porch watching the world go by in just a sweatshirt, eating lemon humus and pita bread, followed by some chocolate, Rudi lying at my feet in a patch of sun.

Every year a meme shows up on the internet depicting The Twelve Seasons, which makes me laugh…. because it’s true for the most part. I am assuming we are having a Fool’s Spring at the moment:

We get a dusting of snow, then it’s warms up, over and over. If this keeps up, things will most likely begin sprouting out of the ground too early again; bulbs sending out little spears towards the sun, tiny fists of buds appearing on the tips of branches. It makes you want to yell “Wait! Too Soon! Not yet! Go back!!!!” A few years ago the magnolia trees started to bloom too soon and were taken out with a heavy frost that put an end to their blossoms before they fully got going. The magnolias always put on such a beautiful show, so that was a pretty big disappointment to whose who care about such things.

Even with more comfortable temps, the ground is still cold, areas of snow still blanketing the woods, ice coating the ponds, mud and puddles stretching along the trails. It’s been a time of quiet observation. Paws on the front steps, traces and tracks, the prints of winter here and there.

While walking in the woods I came across what appears to have been a dance of many turkeys.

Interesting reflections and patterns adorn the ice on the ponds.

Little dogs low to the ground get muddy on the trail!

The resident skunk with its reverse pattern of mostly white fur continues to visit the back yard nightly, crossing the driveway from behind the barn to under the cars and then back. There is a second one that is the negative pattern of this one, but so far I haven’t caught a good photo capture of it.

With amusement I will share that my car window was bombed with a massive valentine a few days ago. I wondered if it was one of the vultures that seem to be hanging around the neighborhood lately. Or perhaps a message from one of my crow friends, letting me know they are still around. It was pretty impressive. And (surprisingly) it didn’t entirely come off in the car wash, so I am still driving around with this big bird advertisement. I don’t really care if it’s there, whatever that might say about my state of mind these days….

That about wraps up thoughts on this warmish winter day. I’m not putting away my boots just yet…..

~*~