the world keeps spinning

During this last week up here (“North of 8”, as they say) we got rains, and then cold. And then, everything was made of glass. Every branch, every sprig of old grass, every being gone dormant for the winter that was still exposed above the snow cover, had been coated in ice. For days now, as you drive down the road, the whole world has been reflecting back sunlight like a giant pronged crystal. When a gentle breeze blows, the trees make a tinkling sound with the light cracking of ice. Some branches have gone down under the weight, and many birch trees have posed into a full downward dog, no doubt in an attempt to relieve stress.

Much of the ice has now fallen, after being shattered over and over by the breezes and softened by full sun with a fraction remaining. And in the coming days, the temperatures will start to rise, and what is left of the ice will be quickly gone. And seeing that there really isn’t a lot of snow to speak of this winter, maybe that will be shortly melted as well. 

Maybe the tinkling of ice is the last little song of winter. 

So, along with that, the arrival of spring birds and probably some waking bears, it’s time for me to get at it. The winter is going to be well over soon, and I have to turn my attention to growing food. That is to say, all the myriad of things that from a distance look random and sometimes nonsensical, all in the name of arugula, salad, etc. 

I pout “I’m not ready! Give me one more month, no..one more week. Don’t make me go!!” 

But that doesn’t matter. We go into hibernation, but the world keeps spinning. Ready? The world keeps turning, and no one knows what’s coming. Ready isn’t a thing, it hardly exist. It’s probably a false question in the end. 

So now I must set about making the task lists, and put things into place. First, the tractor tune-ups (I was lazy and didn’t do them in November). Then, all the other machine tune-ups. The harvest shed needs a good once over, and the delivery vehicles sent for inspection. I have to prep the greenhouse, so we can fill it with flats of germinating seeds. I have to deep clean the crew house to welcome the new crew in May. And projects…projects galore. 

I wonder if bears make list. Mental ones. Or do they just set about their business one paw in front of the other when the winter is over? Do they wake up from hibernation, roll out of their den and think “Gawd, what the hell happened last night?”. Do they feel guilty for getting nothing done the last several months? 

Well, the world kept spinning, bear. And now, you and me, we got some stuff to do. I’ll try to take a lesson from both books. I’ll make lists, and I’ll try to just go one paw in front of the other. 

 But first, I’ll say goodbye to the ice.