Earth Day Celebration!

We are celebrating Earth Day here at Joe's Pond with another lovely blanket of snow. I measured 7 inches this morning and it has been snowing (and blowing) since, so I expect that another inch or two has fallen to add to our woes. I'm not even going to post pictures - you know what we look like - just like yesterday only more so.

Nothing is as expected anymore. We used to depend on March being a blustery, stormy month, and  April was when the snow slowly but surely melted away with the days warming steadily, lots of rain, some flooding in low areas, but always a gradual progression of increased warmth and the earth coming to life again. Only a few years ago we didn't expect 70 degree weather in early April; but that's what we got this year, and now we have  all this snow being dumped on us. The promise of an early spring had drivers removing their winter tires and putting away snow plows and blowers. Grass was greening up (in some areas, not here!) and flowers were blooming. By contrast, this morning my daffies are under at least a foot of snow and although the lilac bushes are showing nice buds, each little green bud is covered with a little snow cap and looks a bit forlorn. I've hung it up my snow shovel and had to get it back out at least twice in the past few weeks. I found out a broom is no match for this wet, heavy stuff, so the trusty snow shovel is once again posted outside the door, ready as needed. 

As I look out my window, clouds of blowing snow are racing across my back lawn more like January than April, and the temperature is staying at about freezing - but with the wind, it is bone-chilling to be outside.

There is relief in sight - next week we are going to be back in the 70s again. So for now we will hunker down, drive carefully if we must be out on the roads, and celebrate Earth Day as best we can, in the midst of a typical March -like snowstorm. Better days are ahead!