Passages
I awoke this morning to a rather heavy fog and, happily, open water on the lake with only a few icy patches remaining. It is always amazing how quickly this transition happens. As I stood watching, a small group of the beautiful hooded mergansers landed right in front of me, the males immediately beginning the head bobbing mating ritual to the seemingly unimpressed females. My loons should arrive very soon. In the background, Canadian geese were calling from the marshes and the familiar cacophony of the amorous crows signaled that, indeed, spring had arrived...at least for the fauna. It will still be a while before the flora feels the warmth necessary to emerge and make its presence known.
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As an aside, I want to thank those contacts who took issue with my "fool" characterization yesterday...many replacing it with the far more comforting descriptive of "old" or some derivation thereof. I really appreciate it. So while there may be some question as to being the fool, it appears there is none as to being old. Terrific. Very encouraging. I reckon I have lived long enough to confirm the proverb that, indeed, "there is no fool like an old fool." But we would also do well to recall Harold MacMillan's words very effectively covering the subject: "It has been said that there is no fool like an old fool, except a young fool. But the young fool has first to grow up to be an old fool to realize what a damn fool he was when he was a young fool." British logic at its best...
Passages
I awoke this morning to a rather heavy fog and, happily, open water on the lake with only a few icy patches remaining. It is always amazing how quickly this transition happens. As I stood watching, a small group of the beautiful hooded mergansers landed right in front of me, the males immediately beginning the head bobbing mating ritual to the seemingly unimpressed females. My loons should arrive very soon. In the background, Canadian geese were calling from the marshes and the familiar cacophony of the amorous crows signaled that, indeed, spring had arrived...at least for the fauna. It will still be a while before the flora feels the warmth necessary to emerge and make its presence known.
_____________________
As an aside, I want to thank those contacts who took issue with my "fool" characterization yesterday...many replacing it with the far more comforting descriptive of "old" or some derivation thereof. I really appreciate it. So while there may be some question as to being the fool, it appears there is none as to being old. Terrific. Very encouraging. I reckon I have lived long enough to confirm the proverb that, indeed, "there is no fool like an old fool." But we would also do well to recall Harold MacMillan's words very effectively covering the subject: "It has been said that there is no fool like an old fool, except a young fool. But the young fool has first to grow up to be an old fool to realize what a damn fool he was when he was a young fool." British logic at its best...