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Sunshine and tulip on a backdrop of huge snowdrifts.

At the end of winter the season gets boring.  I have my conveniently placed birthday to provide a little relief, but there is still the whole of March.  While much of the country is keeping an eye out for actual signs of spring we might see snowdrops before April in a really early year.   So how do we “keep the faith” that spring will come again?

Living in an age of hot houses and shipping there’s a lot to be said for fresh flowers brightening up the house.  Come May I’ll be outside with my clippers looking at lilacs and apple blossoms.  Now I have to go to the store for tulips.  I’ve tried to force bulbs myself.  Apparently I have a talent for mold.

Wild turkeys have so much color especially against the white.

We’re having a little bit of a thaw this week.  It’s encouraging and there is more activity from the wildlife in the area.  The turkeys are actually up at my folks house.  The deer, turkeys, coyote, skunk, groundhog, and an occasional bear are the neighbors who occasionally stop by to visit.

The rest of the flock is down below waiting for the spill over.

In a long harsh winter the wildlife can become very creative in their hunt for food.  They are aware the people in the area have abundance.  Many of the animals have learned my parents routine.  In the summer the hummingbirds are clearly irritated when someone is late putting out the feeders.  The turkey has learned that the dining room is vacant at 11am every day.  My Mom is watching her soap opera.

The chickadees don’t seem to run short

He takes advantage of that little window to hop up on the porch and steal from the chickadees.  The squirrels do it too.  I don’t have photo’s but it was a days worth of laughter to watch a squirrel jump onto the turkey’s back to chase him away from the feeder.   The chickadees put up with all this nonsense and feed to their hearts content while Mom and Dad putter in the kitchen.

While the wildlife may be entertaining, sometimes I want to totally escape the winter.  That when I sit in the sunlight with a good book.   To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis is the fictional work of a blogging buddy Andra Watkins.  She’s currently walking the Natchez Trace, where much of the book takes place.  I’m following her journey on her blog, but the internet isn’t as satisfying as disappearing into an actual book.

Just because I haven’t been writing reviews doesn’t mean I’ve not been reading

My new book, When Gods Come Knocking: An Exploration of Mysticism From a Deity-Based Perspective, is out as well.  I’m not curled up with that one.  I am busy preparing for its “official launch” this weekend at Paganicon in Minneapolis.  My publisher (Taylor Ellwood at Immanion Press) is coming out and we’re doing a book signing along with our respective workshop presentations.  Having something to look forward too always makes the days a little brighter.

In the meantime we’re enjoying the break in the weather.  It’s an unseasonably warm 50 degrees Fahrenheit today!  Maybe a walk is a possibility!

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