Back to Winter?

April 24th, 2008; Spring has arrived!

April 26th, 2008; What?! Winter again?

I awoke this morning to snow! Now in November I would consider this a welcome sight; a blanket of fresh snow to brighten up the landscape and clean away the many shades of brown that can be seen from my picture window. I would be anxiously preparing the dog sleds for their first winter travels and the dogs would be restless in anticipation. But it's April 26th. The forsythia are in bloom. The mini iris' are poking the tips of their tiny leaves out of the ground to greet the warmer spring sun. Many waterfowl have arrived to make Oake Lake their summer home. And most of all, MUD season was over!

Although beautiful, the snow can melt and I won't feel cheated. This past winter was indeed a true winter. I could have done with a little more snow but it was as close to perfect as it could have been.

My records from last year indicate that winter announced itself again, after the arrival of spring, on April 9th. Now here we are, 17 days later than last year, wiping snow off our windshields. The brass clips on each kennel gate that keep the dogs from deciding to flip the latch to explore were even frozen this morning, making feeding a frustrating task. Does all of this mean we could be getting closer to having "normal" winters again? Let's see what next year holds. Until then, back to mud season!