After a record warm start to the new year, the rest of this week has compensated by being extra cold and snowy. Two separate snowstorms blanketed the forest with white. Yesterday’s high was in the mid 20’s, and this morning it dipped into the teens, only rising above freezing shortly before noon. Winter seems determined to make up for lost time.
For over a week, sunrise has remained at the latest for the year. Sunset, however, started getting later starting in mid-December. As the angle of the sun crests higher in the sky, there is more light spilling into the forest.
The beech leaves are still holding on from autumn, even weighed down by these recent snows. Though not comparable to their spring chorus, some birds are already starting to sing especially in the morning. Every day more signs of spring push through the earth in my garden, with daffodils, snowdrops, and other bulbs ready to open when this cold weather passes. Each season contains an echo of the one before and a promise of the one yet to come.