"It's bucket season!"

That was the cry of a very excited preschooler in one of my programs lately. It is indeed bucket season. That time of year when the forest starts to thaw out and the maple trees begin to come alive again. The time of year to make maple syrup.

This is my favorite time of year. The air is crisp and everything smells so earthy. I love that smell. It is so very fresh. Plus, I love maple syrup. What joy to go stomping through the woods looking for buckets full of sap. I love the anticipation of not knowing how much is going to be there. Are we going to be able to boil soon or not? Plus, I love to sit down in the sugar shack with a roaring fire and watch the sap bubble. I just know that something good is going to come from it all. I can't wait to taste it.

I think maple syrup programs are my favorite because of the excitement of the kids. They love to run from bucket to bucket to find the next surprise. If this one is empty, it's on to the next one. The run with wild abandon through the brush. Half the time they fall down because they aren't paying attention to where they are going. They are so focused on the next bucket and what might be there that what is beneath their feet is of no concern. So, sometimes we come out of the woods wet and muddy, but it is always certain that we had some fun.

I hear a lot of complaints about the weather this time of year. We get one warm day and everyone thinks it should stay that way. Well, this is Minnesota and that is just not the case. Spring is not all green grass and flowers blooming in perfect borders along the sidewalk. You would think that people who had lived in Minnesota for any length of time would understand that. Spring is unpredictable. I love that about spring. You never know if it's going to rain or snow or be sunny and clear. Personally, I prefer the snow. I love a good March storm. We haven't had one yet and I can't believe we are going to escape the month without one. Something must be brewing. Spring is what it is and I love it. It's exciting and adventurous. If you want every day to be the same, move to San Diego. If Spring were any different, there would be no maple syrup.

And then I would have to eat corn syrup on my pancakes. YUCK!

I love spring.

It smells good.

It makes me happy.

That about sums it up. More later when I get some good pics.

"The snow is all sparkly!" came the exclamation of an excited preschooler. Excited to be outside exploring the woods. No doubt she has been inside too much lately. Kids need to be outside. They need to stretch their legs and get a little crazy. They need to play in the sparkly snow.

It was a little chilly today, but the snow definitely sparkled. Go check it out. On a sunny day with icy snow, the ground looks like it's covered in diamonds. It actually shimmers. If I could creat snowflake beads, I would make myself some jewelry. There is nothing like it. You will notice that I don't have a picture. Not only do I not have my camera with me today, but that particular site is difficult to capture. You have to have just the right angle in just the right patch of sunlight. I'm afraid I can't find that with 20 preschoolers at my heels. But I love to listen to them delight in it. So, go outside and check out the snow. You'll see what I mean.

I saw a coyote yesterday! Very cool. We were watching it right out the window of the nature center looking out across the prairie. I had heard from others that they were around, but had never seen one. I certainly never expected to see one that close to the building. Unfortunately, no pictures. He was too far away and barely discernible with the binoculars. I guess I need some better binoculars.

I saw a coyote once in Chicago. Well, technically, it was Norridge, just outside of Chicago. It really surprised me. I've never thought of coyotes as urban animals. Suburban, certainly, but Norridge is completely residential. I saw this one in a cemetery. It was quite a large cemetary, but there isn't a lot of cover in a cemetary. I bet most of the neighbors don't even know there is a coyote among them. It's probably a good thing since they kind of get a bum rap. (The coyotes, not the neighbors.)

Coyotes are actually quite clever animals. Very shy and wanting to keep to themselves, they seem to be able to hide just about anywhere. You have to be pretty creative to survive in an urban cemetary, don't you think? True opportunists, a coyote can make his way anywhere he happens to be. Wouldn't it be nice if more people were like that? Instead of always wanting more of this and more of that and checking out what the neighbors have. If we could jsut be happy with what the good Lord has granted us, then we could just be happy. Profound, I know. But I didn't hear the coyote complaining that the mice were better out in the countryside and why couldn't he live there instead. He just did what he needed to do and let the world go by. I've been back through that cemetary several times on other visits there. I haven't seen him again, but I'm still hoping.

Spring is imminent. I can smell the sap in the trees. It's an elusive scent that entices the senses into the forest. It's a scent that teases you, just out of reach, from a hidden nook that is impossible to find. But it is there just the same.

If you listen, you can also hear spring. The cardinals announce it with jubilant voice. Listen for the whoit whoit whoit high in the trees the next time you go outside. I had 3 pair of cardinals fighting at my feeder recently. I've never seen that many around at the same time. They are so much fun to watch as they flit back and forth to the feeder. Bright scarlet amidst the dull background of melting snow. The earth is ready for spring. I hope all three pair of cardinals can agree to get along and hang around. The more the merrier at my feeder.

But the juncos persist. I love the juncos. There is something about a hardy little creature that claims Minnesota as it's "south for the winter". These roly poly birds call Canada home, so Minnesota looks pretty good. I guess it's all perspective. While the birds of Minnesota complain about the snow and the drafts, the juncos are happy to find a place that is cool and refreshing when compared to the great white north. Instead of complaining, they simply embrace it. And when spring blows in and warms up the landscape, it's back north they go. I'm happy to have them for the winter and am always sad to see them go. But, I will know that ski season is right around the corner when I see them appear again.