Spring comes hesitantly here in rural MI.

[longship]

Last edited Tue Apr 9, 2013, 04:53 PM - Edit history (1)

Thunder and lightning, a sure harbinger of MI Spring, is what prompts this post, although recent winters have also given rise to thunder snows. But those aberrant weather occurances aside, I know it's finally Spring here in the Manistee National Forest because we have a great thunderstorm rolling through.

This may not excite many DUers, but after a not too snowy but nevertheless extended winter, to hear the thundering bellows of a springtime storm rolling across the forest here is welcome relief from a cold, dismal winter.

I've been hearing Red Wing Black birds setting out their territory and mourning doves (with their seemingly soulful cries) the past few days. They will be here throughout the warm seasons; their arrival provides hope as much as their songs, both strident and mournful. The trees have begun to bud.

It's been a tough year here in the national forest. But nature's power being expressed here gives me hope. It will soon warm, in spite of snow forecasts for later this week. The annual spring cleanup is already in progress. And nature will provide an occasional reminder, whether through flora, fauna, or meteorology, that there is good in the world. I can hardly wait for the morel mushrooms to show themselves. Mmmm! Mushroom barley soup is perfect on a late spring evening.

Thanks to all DUers in helping get through the bitterness of winter and giving all hope for a better time. More than once, you all have made my day when nights were cold.

Skäl, my friends.


Here's to warmer months.

[cali]

1. Lovely. Thanks for the regional update.

Beautiful area.

[longship]

2. I'm still waiting for the peepers to show themselves.

My mere acre is adjoined by a trout stream and some wetlands. I should admit that one does not actually see peepers but hear them. Their voices echo throughout the nights here throughout springtime. I understand that they're little guys, but I cannot say I've ever seen one.

The best time of the year is when one can open a window or two and let the sounds and smells of the forest waft through into the house, also the ozone of an approaching thunderstorm.

The animals are ever present. Deer and wild turkeys on the roads -- the former always seem to run into your car's path, the latter always out of danger. It's amazing that Darwinian evolution hasn't sorted that out, but alas, it hasn't. The deer die on the roads while the turkeys apparently survive. I love the coyotes yipping and howling in the middle of the night.

I always move a turtle out of the way when it ventures out on the dirt roads here, no matter how pissed off they get at being picked up. I only hope that they really wanted to go the direction they were pointing on the road.

Living here has its plussed and its minuses. But when spring arrives, it is all good. Cabin fever wains and the world becomes beautiful, once again.

Thanks for your response.

[cali]

3. Me too! Peepers are a big deal around here.

We break out the champagne on first hearing of that loud chorus. I've never seen one either.

Where you live reminds me of where I live.

The Northeast Kingdom is the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Vermont, comprising Essex, Orleans and Caledonia Counties and having a population of 62,438. In Vermont, the written term "NEK" is often used. The term "Northeast Kingdom" is attributed to the late George D. Aiken, former Governor of Vermont and a U.S. Senator, who first used the term in a 1949 speech. The area is often referred to by Vermonters simply as "The Kingdom." Residents refer to outsiders, especially those from outside of Vermont, as "flatlanders."[1]

The Northeast Kingdom is bisected by Interstate 91/U.S. 5. On the east it is bordered by the Connecticut River. The highest point is Jay Peak at 3,858 feet (1,176 m).[2]

The Kingdom encompasses 55 towns and gores, with a land area of 2,027 square miles (5,250 km2), about 21% of the state of Vermont.[3] The city of Newport is the single incorporated city in the tri-county area.

As of 1997, 80% of the Northeast Kingdom was covered by forest.[4] 59% was northern hardwood, 29% spruce or fir.

The Northeast Kingdom has been listed in the North American and international editions of "1,000 Places to See Before You Die", the New York Times best-selling book by Patricia Schultz. In 2006, the National Geographic Society named the Northeast Kingdom as the most desirable place to visit in the country and the ninth most desirable place to visit in the world.[5]
Geology

<snip>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Kingdom

[MrScorpio]

4. The thunderstorm was a welcome sight today

Better than a snow storm, for sure.

[boomerbust]

5. Iron Mountain area

The Canadian geese have arrived but are hard pressed to find even a little patch of open water. Look on the bright side, it's just a few short months before fall.

[bemildred]

6. +1

Well done ...

-------------------------------------------

This Poem

is for the quiet, uncelebrated
things of the world--
the road to no familiar place,
love's skill on a troubled night,
the unpublished poem and lost song,
the way of the wild drake,
and night's festival of sound;
for body's silent defeat of disease,
and mysteries that hold their secrets.
For multitudes of creatures and created
things clothed in the graceful sanctity
of their rightful natures.

Joseph Harris

[longship]

7. Thank you very much.

I much appreciate it.

Today, it's not stopped raining and rain (and possible snow) is forecast through next week. There is standing water on the ground. So, we've had quite a bit already.