I Almost Forgot What Dirt Looked Like

The spring and mud season has kicked into high gear after a few early fits and starts. Daytime temperatures are forecast to exceed fifty degrees on a regular basis mixed with occasional rain showers signals the demise of the white blanket that has covered the caldera for the past six months. With the demise of the snow on the horizon comes the list of jobs to be accomplished before next fall’s snow arrives.

The first items on the list revolve around cleaning up from winter’s embrace. Shoveling snow from items long buried whose usefulness has grown with the appearance of dirt and channeling the runoff away from buildings. Rounding up broken pine boughs and cleaning up after dogs after six months of snow hiding the chore not done.

Hope to recover tools dropped in the snow over the winter increases as the snow level drops. Perhaps most of all, the projects that were either unfinished or not yet begun begin to move to the “To DO” list. There are the spring projects like removing trees and stumps while the soil is moist. Late spring brings with it the beginning of construction work; the mid-summer schedule includes roof repair and logging firewood. In five months, hunting season begins and the year’s projects must be completed.

But for now there is a lull while the ground is not ready for the real work to commence, giving us a little calm before the storm. That is one of my favorite aspects of mud season. The other part of spring that I relish is witnessing the slow unveiling of the forest floor. It is a friend that I have missed for half a year and I have looked forward to our reunion. The loss of each foot of snow increases my anticipation.

Witnessing the renewal of forest is an experience not enjoyed by many. I consider myself lucky to be able to share this experience with my wife and friends. We are blessed.