Springing!

Officially, spring won't be here until 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, March 20th. While spring has not yet sprung, it certainly is springing outside! The state bird of Wisconsin is the robin and I saw my first one of the year this afternoon. On my early morning walks I see and hear other birds as well. This morning I heard geese, cranes and red-winged black birds.

Another sign of early spring is melting ice. Places where people were ice fishing just a month ago are now open water. Glistening icicles provide some natural art. Lake Michigan can get rather wild sometimes.

We've had some windy days that sprayed much moisture into nearby plants and trees. I have found that this time of year one can capture some neat looks along the lake. This morning I crawled down some old concrete that was deposited along the lake to prevent erosion. I literally situated myself under a snow overhang to be able to capture some photos. Five years earlier I stood in this spot but the Lake Michigan water level is quite high right now. This morning was the beginning of Daylight Saving Time. While I am not particularly a fan, wishing we'd just keep it one way all the time, I think this change will do me some good. I woke up at 1:55 this morning and five minutes later it was 3 a.m. In my ideal world, I would sleep from 9 p.m. - 3 a.m. My sleep has been irregular for the last five years and I am hoping that getting up at 3 this morning will allow me to reset my sleep clock. I started the first of two loads of laundry and began hanging clothes outside at 4 a.m. under a starry sky and a waning crescent moon. Although it was only 15 degrees and my fingers got a bit cold, I enjoyed the process. At 4 p.m. with sunny skies and a temperature of 36 degrees, I brought it all in. Most items were dry and smelling divinely! This morning I spent some time getting my bike ready. I have not biked to work in a long time. There are many reasons for this that I'll not go into now. However, I think I need to start again. We are supposed to get a dusting of snow overnight so if the roads look okay when I am to leave at 5 a.m., I'll give it a go. I'm only about seven miles from work so it isn't too bad of a commute. My main concern is distracted drivers when I am out in the dark on the highway.

The ice is melting and the seedlings are growing,

It won't be long until

my garden I'm sowing.