Spring? It's Spring? Naw!
Today my unbirthday guy's cold has itensified. Our hope that yesterday, his birthday, marked the worst day of this miserable virus did not in fact materialize, as today appears to be that very day, with hopes that succeeding days will bring relief. So, had we known, he would have had tea, not coffee, this morning. And I wouldn't have bothered preparing french toast for breakfast of which he scarcely was able to consume a mere two pieces. Along with cantaloupe, banana, orange juice, so that wasn't too bad, one supposes. He's snorting and honking like a goose, as his sinuses act up, and he hasn't the energy to go downstairs to work on his stained glass project, which he had been able to do yesterday.
So, go for a walk in the ravine? After all, it's unbelievably mild, well above freezing, and the snow has been melting steadily, particularly under the rain that hammered our rooftop all night long. The sun has even taken to peeking out from under the clouds occasionally. Button and Riley are restless, they know their day hasn't come close to completion without a ravine walk. Button even snouted open the door to the mudroom/laundry room to sniff our boots, our mittens, clearly wondering what gives.
I prepared a cheese bread dough for dinner, put on a lentil-limabean soup to cook, finished my housekeeping chores and told him he should stay right there, relaxed and reading, keeping his misery at a minimum, while I take Button and Riley out to the ravine. He had other plans, hauled on his outerwear, and off we went, all of us to the ravine. And because it was already plus-4 degrees, sans cleats.
The snow pack is reduced, but there was so much of it, you'd hardly notice, if it were not for the great swollen swishing washout of the creek which had swallowed all of yesterday's and the overnight rain, plus the snow melt. At certain points on the trail, the ice is top and centre, but it's been defanged, as the top layer is now definitely mushy and we're not now inclined to slip and slide too much. The still-ample snow is incredibly littered with debris; branches, limbs, twigs, all of which have come down under the ceaseless coaxing of the wind whistling above us.
Unfortunately, more than dead detritus hitherto stuck high in tree branches have come down to litter the now-soft snowpack. The wind must have been far more persuasive overnight in quick thrusts and gusts, since there are some otherwise-healthy-looking firs which have been toppled, the snags left upright and long jagged white spurs left standing beside the forlorn looking trees hacked off and horizontal now, impossibly green its foliage against the snow.
There are crows circling above, their hoarse caws sounding through the trees, their wings spread wide, gliding on the wind as they enjoy this day in early February. The clouds are scudding in dark grey elongations above; occasionally a bit of blue sky and a promise of more. Can they possibly imagine that it's spring? We see three, no four, for heaven's sake, five black squirrels chasing one another over the snow, up into the trees, tails jerking as they speed along. Mating, already? They'll surely be early this year, so let's hope early spring, when it does arrive, is as balmy as this late winter day.
The melt has created a runnel through the icebridge which we ford across a slender rivulet at the bottom of one of the ravine hills, and water is rushing through, to meet the greater creek. It's still narrow enough for us to pass easily over each edge. The dogs are interested in more prosaic matters of keen interest to them alone, for this melt has revealed tenderly fragrant old scat which they sniff eagerly, and we call them away from.
We've the ravine to ourselves this lovely winter/spring day, but for one encounter. A fresh-faced, scant-bearded young man walking a tiny female Schnauzer. We'd heard her far in the distance, her distinctive, high-pitched yelp identifying her to us as we approached. It's Kiera, her coat overgrown nicely for winter, as perky as ever, one of Riley's little friends. They greet and sniff, challenge one another briefly to a quick run, then go their separate ways, as do we all.
posted by Pieface @ Sunday, February 05, 2006
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