Birds

This morning was the first time this year I've woken up to birds. And there are birds everywhere-- in the field, in all the trees, on the log in the pond, turkeys roaming the wetlands, pheasants rising up from the brush. I'm so glad to hear them-- the first real break in the long, deep silence of winter. Last night I was awake at 3:30 and again thinking of and aware of the complete silence. I thought about how I'm coming to know the seasons here, and this will be my first spring. Winter is silence and movies and thinking about things.

Already Tim and Steve and Paul are moving out onto the land and into the barns. Steve works on his machinery, and has set up a welding shop in one of the hog barns where he made the railings for the stairs and the upstairs balcony. Steve is restless as he makes his transition from design work in the winter to landscape work, talking about the possibilities brought about by the purchase of a tree spade, and psyching himself up into the work. Tim has been going off to play tennis when that's possible. Soon he'll take out his motorcycle and the rig he has for his golf clubs on the back, and be off to the golf course. Paul and his friends have started playing frisbee golf again, and he's often busy in his workshop in another of the barns.

I'm transplanting a few of the plants into larger pots. Not many of them are thriving (I think I overwatered), but there will be a couple zucchini plants, a few squash plants, maybe a cucumber, and snow peas, brussel sprouts and tomatoes when the garden is ready to be planted. Whatever doesn't come up I can buy from Thomsen's Nursery, which opens for the first time next weekend.

This is my first spring in my new world. We will see what it is about as it goes along.