Each day now I get a millimeter of tire-tread closer to disaster as I turn onto the mud-spattered expanse of our driveway and attempt to navigate Becky, my tiny Toyota Echo, through the 1000-foot gauntlet of trees and mud puddles to our humble cabin. Two days ago my car faltered in the fudgey ruts. Yesterday, I spun out for several seconds and began imagining the bother it would be to dislodge myself. Today I was almost too chicken to chance it, but ended up safely coming to a stop in our wet-floored garage, after all.
The ground squished beneath my shoes as I walked to our door. Purrchee was immediately at my heels, meowing and purring almost at once, looking up at me with her great blue-green eyes, eager for me to sit. Even now she is in my lap, upside down, her paws kneading the air, her wet nose pushing against my hand with such force that it pulls her cheeks back from her teeth and releases an extra-loud puff from her purr-engine. Her muddy paw prints are already drying on my school pants.
Spring has finally come to the U.P.
Just the other evening I startled a woodcock while returning from an evening run and could hear its wings whirring as it rose above me and then headed a little further south to find a new place to settle. Snatches of poetry flitted through my mind.
This afternoon I took some of our students outside for recess and had to step around the shrinking scabs of ice which still rest on the low places of our field. I found myself thinking in word pictures, trying out syllables on my tongue, wanting to glory in the beauty around me in the way I know best.
And so it is time for spring to come to my blog as well.
It's time to shake off the snow of busyness, to melt away the frost of burdens. Spring is in the air. Words are once more on the wing.
