It is snowing and blowing today, as it has been for several days, but the air is humid and warm. The snow is still feet deep, but the tree branches are starting to lose the brittleness of winter. Outside my window the willow bushes are now turning the bright yellow and red that heralds the coming of spring.
While going through the day’s messages before heading out to do chores, I was snapped to attention by a sound long relegated to memory. A Wyoming ground squirrel, known as a gopher, was calling through the storm. Gophers hibernate through the winter, so we have not seen one since late October. This particular Gopher had tunneled up from its burrow through three feet of snow. I can imagine its surprise when it emerged into a still-frozen world.
Still, I think he saw his shadow and it seems like spring is truly (finally) on the way.