I began this weblog almost a year ago threatening to whine about the winter we’d had, so it seems appropriate to return to the theme, on the first full day of spring.  Our weather this season made national headlines (and punchlines) over and over, so perhaps my lament is on slightly firmer ground this time.  We’ve still got something close to 2 feet of snowpack in the woods, so confirmations of the new season are still hard to spot.  And of course it snowed today…

The skunk cabbage made its first appearance in this stream in Allandale Woods about 2 weeks ago, during the first hints of a thaw.  Nature changed her mind about the temperature, but the thermogenic plants have held on.

 

Regular readers may notice that the number of dogs has not remained constant.  At the end of September, Cass joined the pack, since life was not already complicated enough.  She was 7-1/2 weeks old, a bit less than 9 pounds, and already had designs on taking over the world.  First impressions proved accurate.  I will blame my silence over the last few months on her arrival, and will have much more to say about her in the near future.