Welcome March!

Today was brilliantly sunny and warm, in the mid twenties.  The sun on the snow against the bare branches of trees on the hill and bright blue sky were my view as I drove into town today to teach.  I designed another shawl from these colors: Sun in Early March.

This is the month of the equinox, that balancing point between the light and the dark.  March 21 will see 12 hours of sunlight hereabouts.  That's a dramatic change from the 5 hours of just a couple months ago.  It is light when I go into work, and the sun doesn't set until nearly 6 o'clock!  I also now sit by a window all day at work, due to a minor rennovation we just completed, and that makes it all that much more lovely.  

This glory of warm snow, that crunches underfoot instead of squeaking, and bright sunny days are the best harginger of spring.  We've not yet entered breakup and mudseason when one is hard pressed to find beauty in the spring time world, but it is clear that summer sun is on its way.  

I was walking the fence line of the current dog yard, searching for the broken spot that has let my in-laws dog (which we have until they return from the islands) escape and run away and go visiting with kind strangers twice this week.  Misha is too big to use the spot I finally found between two bars.  She was elated to have me in the yard, playing snow soccer.  As I walked the fence line of what will become two separate yards: on for dogs and one for sheep.  It is easy, especially in the winter, to become housebound and forget the beauty and strength and inspiring potential of this patch of land we live on.  I was reminded this morning of well it will grow veggies and house sheep.  I can't wait for snow melt and ground thaw to begin pounding fenceposts...