First Signs

My apologies for letting the blog go without a post.  I lost my internet connection for an extended period again and I allowed it to knock me off the path.  Hopefully, I can get back on.

There is something that happens in late February and Early March.  It’s a hallmark sign of Spring on the way. When I was younger, it used to be the first robin.  Since then, I’ve learned that it’s not accurate since robins actually don’t migrate for the winter.  What they do is find a communal roosting spot and can be seen in the middle of December or January when there is a nice period of weather.   No, I’m talking about a visual clue that’s a little more subtle and a lot more accurate.  True, everyone KNOWS Spring is on the way by March but sometimes when the weather is rough it’s nice to have a little reminder.

I’ve looked around and can’t seem to find a term for it which surprises me.  On the edges of the bare winter branches a faint haze begins to develop, a haze of color not normally associated with the new green growth and the yellows and purples of Spring flowers.  It appears as a brick red color.  Living in an area where hardwoods and, particularly, maples dominate the area you can begin to see a faint misting of brick red color over the edges of the tree lines in late February.  Along the highway or even on the drive to work, it’s a faint, mostly unnoticed pulse from Mother Nature,  “Time to wake up.”

As the weeks pass, the red does not grow brighter but it does begin to expand and then fades into the first hints of green.  By late March and April, Spring is in full session.  To me, it’s a magical process and a harbringer that, even with cold winds and chill nights, Winter is on the way out.  The first subtle sign of that sepia lifts me up and gets me through February which is such a tough month the Romans decided it needed to be shorter.   I’m surprised not more people notice it or, perhaps, they do but it’s just not as celebrated.  I’m not really sure.   I think it should be celebrated.  Of course, just ask around, I’m always up for a celebration.  We should start an official “Redbud Day.”