With all those still suffering through cabin fever, I just thought I'd offer a few observations.


Things I noticed here in the last few days:  

- lots of Robins; literally a hundred birds in one group in my neighborhood. (I was beginning to feel like I was witnessing an Alfred Hitckcock movie)
- green buds on wild plum trees
- a migrating loon fishing on an area lake (and yes, the loon is migrating NORTH)

dd

From Chisholm, MN, (closer to our common area of interest than TX!), here are my signs of spring:

* Sounds of water running outside.
*Roof leaking from the ice dams built up from melting snow.
*I see entire city streets free of ice and snow for the first time since November.
*I can ice fish without a coat, but MUST have sunglasses and sun screen.
*Giant snowman's head is now the size of a softball. (The hat is absorbing the sun's rays and shrinking it faster than the rest of his body!)
*Dog deposits reemerging from the snow.

Kevin

A sure sign... mailboxes are blooming on my cul-de-sac.    Jimbo   8-)

Snow melt over the septic tank.

Jimbo wrote on Mar 4^th, 2010 at 1:06am:

A sure sign... mailboxes are blooming on my cul-de-sac.    Jimbo   8-)

A few years ago, it was pink flamingos blooming & disappearing from your neighborhood = yard.  ;D What gives?

No Geese flying north yet here in SE WI but the birdies are chirping nicely on calm mornings. I still have an ice rink in the back but the sun is now finding all the embedded leaves. The kid lost her first baseball to the snow on the roof yesterday morning so it won't be long now.

Stalks of daffodils poking through the leaves I dragged into the trees last fall, Robins have been here and lots have moved on. Squirrels doing the squirrel spring-thing. Fishing catalogs piled on the kitchen table (I'm going to be required to move those in a couple of day). Cabin fever at high pitch.

Tim

Spartan1 got out his garden seed catalogs and sent in a BIG order!  We'll have veggies all summer.

Birds migrating north - flock of crows, mallards and I saw my first gold finches on my feeder here in Duluth.

My understanding of the signs of spring are that when the crows start migrating it's time to start tapping trees for maple syrup.

Finally, the number one sign; Kids playing in mud puddles.  ;)

starwatcher

Getting low on firewood...  :P

Maybe I spoke too soon about the robins. As I stood by the back door sipping coffee at first light, the robins were everywhere. By 10:00 am they were gone.

Spartan 1 will soon be shearing sheep, no doubt.

Tim

Spring tulips/daffodils are about are sticking out about an inch or so near the house where it's more protected.

Robins never leave our area -- they leave town, but if you go out into the woods there are flocks all over, all winter.

--Goose

Chickadees and cardinals singing, "looking for love". Longspurs on the country roadsides. Gravel in the drive way beginning to show through. No ice houses on area lakes. Fox squirrels pairs eating boxelder seeds from the trees in yard. Silver maple buds getting "big". [smiley=thumbup.gif]

From Makinen, my home between homes (wish my wife would let us stay there perminently but she's got this strange thing about wanting running water for toilets and showers): Trail to the outhouse is almost all grass now except where it jumps over the snowbank. River out front has lots of orange water on top of the ice (at least late in the day, it's just orange ice in the morning). And I'm starting to see critters outside instead of just hearing them run around in the attic.

Snow everywhere still....no spring signs until April...snow on road often doesn't disappear until early May.

Jealous, I'm with PJ...perhaps I'll see some grass near the septic soon?  2 ft of ice still and driving everywhere on it.

I'm confused.  While heading out to ice fish this morning, I saw two trumpeter swans flying over the highway.  Then, I nearly ran out of auger to get through 2 1/2 feet of ice.  I'm not sure where those swans are finding open water right now, but it was pretty cool to see them -- even if it confused me!

Several area friends were out tapping the Maples this weekend.

No spring yet. I'm not at war with woodpeckers who want to pop a hole in my house and raise a new crew. Happens every year like clockwork. :P

As a Madison resident, there's no better sign of spring than than....
Canoecopia!!! Less than a week now...

well, not quite spring yet, but getting close yesterday :)

---

Nice ;)

marlin55388 wrote on Mar 7^th, 2010 at 2:01pm:

Nice ;)

oh golly marlin....here's nuther un.... 8-)

---

WOOF, woof ;D

Those wolf pics remind me of another sure sign of spring -- the retreating ice and snow in the backyard are exposing 3 months of turds that my dogs have left for me.  Lovely

prouboy  

Puckster wrote on Mar 8^th, 2010 at 12:16am:

Those wolf pics remind me of another sure sign of spring -- the retreating ice and snow in the backyard are exposing 3 months of turds that my dogs have left for me.  Lovely prouboy

well prouboy,  you wouldn't have that problem if you had a few of these in your yard, as we do here  :)  works wonders on moving your favorite dog to the doggie happy hunting grounds  ;)   :D   ;D

---

My gf n I where spending a few moments overlooking Kawishiwi Falls this weekend.  We took a plastic tarp so we could sit and enjoy the view of the Falls running freely in the main Fall, and watch the water flow under the ice in the smaller Falls.  A fly landed on my hand for but a brief moment, and then lazily flew away.  Sam cook wrote about a similar experience in his book "Up North" in the first chapter called "Catepillar Nap".

k

Sam cook is great!

No birdies in Green Bay yet, but I expect them any day.  Grass is beginning to emerge from under the retreating snowbanks.  This evening the weather was so warm that I rolled up the garage doors and treated the whole neighborhood to the sound of my angle grinder for an hour or so as I wire-brushed the steel on the canoe trailer for a fresh coat of paint.  Won't be long now! :)

First day of spring, first paddle trip of the season on the 20th.

I went for a 16 mile paddle on Saturday.  Was not worth any thing Sunday.  Saw 3 swans and many loons + all the usual.

This past weekend was beautiful here in AR...  Saturday was 70 degrees, and I rode 56 miles on my bike, repaired winter damage in circle drive, tilled up the garden getting ready to plant it.  Then 'Sunday I rode another 33  miles and then went for a paddle to try out my new 260 cm Bending Branches Sandpiper Solo Canoe paddle in my Wilderness...  Thanks again Bogwalker for selling it to me!  Great weekend!!

Bruce

Wow dude you rock! I just started meeting with Tony Horton and workin on the stepper. I can't believe how soft I've gotten. Yikes!

well, sign of spring in BW  :)

---

Riversend wrote on Mar 11^th, 2010 at 1:34am:

well, sign of spring in BW  :)

Dude...any body can catch a fish........when will you take a keeper... ;)  ;D

---

Dude, whatz her name?  :-* ;D [smiley=thumbup.gif]

Sorry, I just cant help myself. Just she lip it or hit it hard? ;D I know I am bad; super bag ;)