April 14, 2025

It has been over a year since I’ve written one of these, and this morning is as good a time as ever. Spring has come at least two weeks later than last year, though perhaps that means the winter was a more normal winter. We had snow in November and December, a weirdly mild and foggy/rainy New Year’s Eve and Day, and then more snow and expected temperatures. A good amount of precipitation in March and April, and snow as recently as April 12.

A bear came repeatedly last fall in successive visits to raid our trash, and kept foiling our attempts to secure it until we bought bear-proof straps to drill into the barrel (by then it had moved on anyway). I have not been putting out our trail camera but I’m sure we’ve had the usual inhabitants and passers-through.

As of now the crocuses are just about done after getting walloped by snow, and the patch of ramps at our mailbox is up. Some trillium might be emerging, too. Our planted magnolias are not yet blooming. There are fuzzy great mullein rosettes along the yard edge, and some primroses. too. Everywhere day lily fronds.

We did not have another pine siskin irruption like we did last year, but that is probably to be expected.