Spring Thaw?

Contrary to what the image in my new March header may lead you to believe, winter in Minnesota appears to be on its way out of town. At least it has felt that way for the past couple of weeks as we've had glorious sunny days in the mid 40s (okay, not every day, but at least a few!) and the snow has begun its retreat that brings on puddles and muddy shoes. I was actually surprised I never felt fed up with winter this year, perhaps due to all of our outdoor play and skiing adventures? But that doesn't mean I am not rejoicing as spring begins to creep back into our world. You would think that after 26 years I could remember the patterns of the changing seasons, but every year, without fail, I realize I have forgotten that spring and warmth really do come - we do not live in an eternal winter (although sometimes I wonder what life as a Narnian would be like, haha). I obviously know in my mind that spring arrives, and summer too, but it's that immediate, everyday part of my mind that forgets -- that you don't always have to bundle up to battle old man winter, wonder if your car will start as it grumbles and coughs at your "wake-up" attempt, and sleep with socks on to avoid the curled-toe morning walk to the bathroom. And I could go on, as could you. Here are some hopeful signs of spring on its way:

- the ice in our driveway, front steps, and roof has melted.

- the icicles, which grew to great lengths at the beginning of the thaw, have fallen like daggers and shattered on the ground (see photos below). The first day one fell we were inside the house and the noise was so sudden and loud I called to Evan thinking he had fallen!

- the squirrels are ravishing and stealing from the bird feeder! I like the squirrels most of the year and get a kick watching them, but the first time I saw a squirrel hanging upside down from our little bird feeder it was so offensive and wrong I ran out there and took the feeder down! We have since tried many tricks in getting food past the squirrels, but alas, nothing has worked. We tried a different feeder that we thought could fool the squirrels, and we even tried one of those shields that goes above the feeder with the purpose of deflecting the squirrels and sending them to the ground (muahahah). There are two squirrels who frequent our feeder. One I consider a normal squirrel who cannot get by this protective shield. The other is Super Squirrel for nothing stops him; he sidesteps this shield like he was born to invade feeders, and makes a point of sending some food down to the earth-bound squirrel below. They work as a team, these two. And by mid-day, the contents of our feeder are stashed away in their little squirrel nests. Although I like to pretend the unruly and hungry squirrels are a sign of the end of a long winter and spring on the horizon, I wouldn't be surprised if they continued this routine throughout the summer. Those little buggers.

- Our little mounds of dirt around the house are no longer snow covered and will be sprouting with little tulips any day... ok, well not any day just yet. But it will be exciting to see a bit of color in our yard whenever they do peak up from the soil.

- Evan is done coaching basketball! Wahoo! Now spring can really begin. He has a blast coaching the freshman girls, but it is nice to see him before 6 or 7pm (when he leaves the house at 6am or earlier!) and not having to cook dinner by myself -- or at all ; )

As the days continue to grow longer we will see more and more signs of spring on its ways. Here are a few photos of our amazing icicle artwork we had "displayed" in our backyard for a few weeks:


More icicles -- Winter chimes (similar fall photo!) -- Bunny or squirrel tracks?

Our beautiful bird feeder before the squirrels took interest (Xmas gift from the Piersons) and a cardinal and friend enjoying a snack!
Winter at 6032. Let's hope this is a fond farewell for the season!