Happy Spring!

It is currently mostly cloudy, 28 F, with a brief jump to 32 earlier, at least there are only a few flurries and not another 12 inch snowfall as happened a week ago. I believe my family in Massachusetts is about to get dumped on by their 4th nor'easter in a month? At least that one is dumping less snow than the previous ones.

Her in northeast Michigan we hope to see temps regularly in the 40s by the weekend. It will help tremendously with the maple syrup production which has been sporadic because of the wide temperature swings. We've got a little over 1.5 gallons of finished syrup that needs to be canned, we'd like atleast 5 or 6 this year, only half of what we got last year but we can't make the trees produce.

I have been feeding the little winter birds and squirrels all winter, they seem to appreciate it as there aren't a lot of insects or seeds to eat yet. I've got a little flock of goldfinches and a larger one of pine siskins as well as chickadees, nuthatches and the odd bluejay and cardinal. Now if I can just see my first robin, spring will have really begun.

February Really Sucked

Besides me being sick for the last 3 weeks of it, on the 8th my father-in-law died. He was 83. I'm not going to go into detail, but essentially he got sick, wouldn't go to the doctor till things snowballed and he just gave up. So he's gone, and it feels really weird.

Nothing much is happening otherwise, though Hal started tapping trees for maple sap, and I started crocheting a hat. Maybe I'll have something to post on a cheerier note in a week or so. In fact I forgot to post this and I finished my hat last night. Here it is.

And it snowed a lot, there are 8.5 inches plus of snow out there. Oh joy.