Not Quite Ready for Spring

February 12, 2023

(The VoiceOver is an audio reading of the poem below.)

Sunrise 2/4/23

I’m not quite ready for spring 
with all her buds and life springing forth. 
I want to stay here 
in the quiet 
a little longer. 

I want to keep the early nights 
where darkness helps me settle.
I want to keep the languid mornings 
with time for tea before the sun comes up.
I want to keep the quiet that comes 
when cars are few and people are fewer 
and boats are not speeding down the lake.
I want to keep the stillness out here 
even as I work to find it inside.

Yet here are the ducks
chasing each other about
starting their spring mating dance 
with all its head bobbing and funny sounds. 
The pintails, scaups and canvasback 
have already made an appearance 
that signals the start of spring migration. 
Greater white-fronted and snow geese 
flying high in the morning sky
honking out their unique sounds. 
Buds are appearing on the trees
however early it seems
urging themselves back to life.

The sunrise moves so quickly now
earlier by minutes each day
crawling back north along the horizon. 
Spring is coming
ready or not
but just for now
just for a day 
or a week 
or as long as I can 
I want to stay here
in the quiet.

Sunrise 2/7/23

Sunrise on Saturday morning (2/11/23) was so quiet and peaceful. Here’s a video as the sun came up over the trees (7:20 AM) and then after she climbed into the sky and the mist from the water was at its peak (7:40 AM). According to my car it was 17F/-8C when I arrived. I love this kind of winter quiet so much. (And yes, it really was that quiet.)

I’m not the only one who enjoys the quiet. The mallards (some of whom don’t migrate), enjoy their winter naps too.

There’s a lot of chasing and flapping going on with the mergansers. (common mergansers)

Common goldeneyes are also wasting no time.

Victory dance (common goldeneye)

Who could really resist this handsome guy? (male common merganser)

Apparently she’s fallen for him, lol. (female common merganser with the photo bomb)

Soaking in these still moments while I can.

I’m not the only one who appreciates dark, quiet mornings. (barred owl)

And always - always - looking for feathers.

May peace find you whatever is moving through your world now. One way I am cultivating the quiet is by learning qigong. Of course I would love it, when the movements are called “flows” and they have names like “sunrise over the lake” and “soaring crane”!