New Beginnings

Spring officially arrived on the pond this week, but remembering that we're in Maine doesn't mean that we're picking tulips just yet. What the arrival of spring does bring is the onslaught of renewed energy and the excitement of things to come. We know that soon the ice will melt off the pond - in fact there are many "Ice Out" parties had in that honor.

Once the ice melts, that will bring all of the summer birds back we so miss all winter long. I feel particularly thrilled when I hear the loons begin their mating calls in their first nights back home. The calls are entrancing and quite magical, and fill your heart with the spirit of love. Give it a listen (click title for audio clip) and let your mind wander to a warm spring evening, sitting out on the dock. Perhaps you've even had the great fortune to see the loons swimming nearby as we have. The speed at which they swim underwater is amazing.

Of course getting the cottage ready for visitors now seems much more important than it has all these long slow winter months. We must empty out the closets of boots and hats and coats to make room for life jackets and water shoes and paddles. Yes indeed, spring certainly is a season of renewed energy. For that I'm thankful I enjoyed the quiet restful months of winter, building up a reserve; as there is much to be done at the cottage this spring.

In Like A Lion

You know the old nursery rhyme, that says March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Just to be true to form we have a big old storm that arrived mid-day, just when we'd finally chipped away the ice from last week's event. About now, we are all ready to think of spring and all that offers us. In fact today my 6 year old grandson Isaac, said he wanted it to be springtime, and that he was sick of winter. I second that!

We have decided to have a little St. Patty's day fun in two weeks with a kids party for the three wee ones. I'll bet we'll have some cupcakes festooned (that must be a good Irish word), with green frosting and green sprinkles and of course the magic green milk.

That reminds me of a great story. When my kids were little I would always be excited for St. Patrick's Day to arrive, for no other reason than to have a little fun after yet another long winter. I would always make sure to "treat" the milk the night before to insure the desired results. We would once again be surprised and amazed that the Leprechaun had visited while we were all sleeping and magically made our milk green.

It was a tradition easy to carry on, with the exception of one year that we had baked lots of Christmas cookies and had used up all of the green food coloring. Even though I was sure my youngest child had long ago figured out who was at the root of the green milk, I still wanted to perpetuate the charade. I scoured the cupboards in high hopes that maybe there was a little bottle of green food coloring stuck somewhere it didn't belong with no luck. The only thing left was a half bottle of green sprinkles. With fingers crossed, I sprinkled and sprinkled until I had used all that was in the bottle and only had a tint of green in the milk.

The next morning, my daughter went to the kitchen, poured herself a bowl of cereal and proceeded to cover it with milk. Very soon she yelled, "Mom, there's something really wrong with the milk - it has little green specs in it and I think it's moldy." Oh dear, the jig was up. I had to fess up to my misdeeds and admit I had caused this issue in the milk, and assure her that it was fit to use. No matter what I said, there was no convincing an already fussy eater that I was the cause of the green spotted milk, and thus ended a generation of green St. Patty's Day milk.

I am proud to say that the tradition has been carried on and now at least three of my grandkids have the thrill of a visit from St. Patty each March 17th. By the way, the picture at the top is of Ross Castle in Ireland. Sláinte!

The Morning After

There are still close to 80,000 people without power as we listen to this evening's news. We were among the lucky ones that were only in the dark for 15 hours. This being the third such storm this winter, we are all winter weary. What are the bright spots, because there has to be some, right? I took a call from someone on the cellphone yesterday and confirmed that we were among the 160,000 that had lost power in this latest visit from Old Man Winter. I did admit that I was "forced" to sit in my rocking chair next to a roaring fire and read a thick novel about those testy Boleyn Girls of the frisky King Henry era, Oh my.

Hmmm, yes I had to go out and shovel, and yes I had to tote a couple of loads of wood in; but all in all - I'm no worse for the wear. To be honest, we had the generator as our backup so we didn't suffer by any means. But then, the power came on shortly after 6:00 p.m. and we were able to get back to life as we know it. Truth be told, I had pulled out the lanterns (or lant-ins as they say in Maine) and had candles strategically placed, had the mancala board ready for a night of games, and was just a little sad when the power came back on. We went back to the TV shows, the computer that was calling me, and all of the other distractions that keep us preoccupied.

I'll will tell you, that waking up to such a beautiful morning view makes it hard to remember how crabby I was as I was filling the wood totes while braving 40+ MPH winds. The picture at the top of this article was taken from our front room, facing the water (ice). I will leave you with the thought that no matter how unhappy you may be in a particular situation, if you'll take an attitude adjustment moment (maybe I'm reminding myself), you may be pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Another storm on its way for the weekend - wohoo!

P.S. Hurry Spring!!!!

Tenacity

Tenacity is a word that evokes a picture, so I'll describe the image I just saw out our lakeside picture window. We received at least 7 or 8 inches of snow yesterday plus a good amount of rain in the middle; so walking out on the "pond" ain't easy I'll bet! The wind is whipping the snow at a pretty good clip so it would sting in your face no doubt.

Here I am at my computer warm and snug , just poking through today's online work, when what to my wondering eyes did appear? A robust fellow - trudging through the snow, face into the wind; pulling his sled full of ice fishing gear heading over to the southwest side of the pond. Now that, in my estimation; is tenacity.

To have a goal in mind, and in this case catching fish; which would compel a person to brave the elements in hopes of having just the right bait, at the right time, for a passing fish to choose this hook to nibble on. Yep, that's tenacity or lunacy, depending on your outlook. Back to business; in my warm, dry, comfortable spot, looking out on Kennebunk Pond.