Sunday, March 6, 2011

Promise becomes reality

Today, Sunday, March 6, the promise of spring became reality. Up until now, Nighttime temperatures around zero and cold, harsh daytime conditions made it seem as though winter would never loose its grip on us.

But last night remained above freezing and today, snow melts so rapidly that the decrease in depth is noticeable from one hour to the next.

As a diehard brook fisherman, with native brook trout as my chief goal, I live for opening day. And every year, it seems, the same thoughts assail me. “Will the snow and ice melt by April 1 so that we can go trout fishing?”

And every year, as if by magic, despite 10-foot snowbanks in early March, spring arrives and trout streams become ice-free. This year, hopefully, will not prove the exception.

Here’s something else to cheer the winter-weary soul. I have a cultivated pussy willow shrub in front of my house. And while much of it remains locked in snow and ice, some branches are now freed from their wintry prison and are sporting those silvery-gray catkins that make that simple plant a beloved symbol of springtime.

So be of good cheer. Spring is on the way. Really.

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