Spring!
I have been counting the days until we are blessed with some extra light. Although spring doesn't arrive in the Twin Cities as sharply or dramatically as it might in, say, Pennsylvania or California, there are a few subtle signs that warms a Midwestern heart. For one, the seasonal hockey rinks turn into slush and mud (note, I didn't write ice hockey rinks...in Minnesota, hockey is hockey for peet's sake). At the offset, melting hockey rinks make me feel a little sad; the hockey season is brief! But, as the tough ground slowly peaks through, well, I'm reminded that frisbee, softball, and picnics are around the corner.
What else marks spring here? The bald eagles return! Our downstairs neighbors, Sherry and Anna, are the resident bird experts so I need to talk to them about this! (Even Mike, Mr. Animal Behavior, admits their expertise.) Yesterday, Mike reported spotting two bald eagles swooping low as he was driving over the Lake Street Bridge. Then, I remembered, humblest birder that I am, that I spotted TWO BALD EAGLES as I was running on the east side of the Mississippi(the same eagles as Mike's perhaps?! probably not...gotta talk to Sherry and Anna). My eagles were flying so low that their enormous shadows followed me as I picked up my pace. Discussing our respective spottings, Mike announced that this is just about the weekend that bald eagles migrate. So I gotta keep my eyes peeled! (Yup, that was a Pippi Longstocking quote.)
On lesser notes, Rachel began molting last week. The first local crops (mainly asparagus) pop up. And...I guess nothing else much happens until that first warm day hits. Truly, that is really the best day (besides May Day and the Twin Cities Marathon) to be in Minneapolis and St. Paul. We are SO HAPPY. The long winter seems nearly worth it...
The heart of the matter is...the weather here is not the greatest. Yet, the Twin Cities feel like home to me.
What else marks spring here? The bald eagles return! Our downstairs neighbors, Sherry and Anna, are the resident bird experts so I need to talk to them about this! (Even Mike, Mr. Animal Behavior, admits their expertise.) Yesterday, Mike reported spotting two bald eagles swooping low as he was driving over the Lake Street Bridge. Then, I remembered, humblest birder that I am, that I spotted TWO BALD EAGLES as I was running on the east side of the Mississippi(the same eagles as Mike's perhaps?! probably not...gotta talk to Sherry and Anna). My eagles were flying so low that their enormous shadows followed me as I picked up my pace. Discussing our respective spottings, Mike announced that this is just about the weekend that bald eagles migrate. So I gotta keep my eyes peeled! (Yup, that was a Pippi Longstocking quote.)
On lesser notes, Rachel began molting last week. The first local crops (mainly asparagus) pop up. And...I guess nothing else much happens until that first warm day hits. Truly, that is really the best day (besides May Day and the Twin Cities Marathon) to be in Minneapolis and St. Paul. We are SO HAPPY. The long winter seems nearly worth it...
The heart of the matter is...the weather here is not the greatest. Yet, the Twin Cities feel like home to me.
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