by
Jean Hughes
March 4, 1996

The cardinals sing, "Spring is here! Spring is here!" Soft winds blow through my heart and try to sweep away the cold, but spring has only come to test the winter. She has touched it lightly with soft-airy fingers and said, "Not quite done yet." She is right!

Today, the birds and I are singing in an easy-blowing snow. The wind purrs through the trees. I walk for an hour and watch as the earth is transformed into a white wonderland. The distant hills are covered with blue fog.

The snow stops and I walk to Sugar Creek. In the valley, the air is spring-like. The creek sings melting, snow-water songs as it creeps higher and higher.

As I walk back up the hill, snow pellets down. The wind begins to roar. By chore time my spring snow is going a little wild on me.

In my dooryard tree, all the birds sit with their faces into the wind. The wind presses their feathers tight and helps to keep out the cold. Birds' eyes are on the side, so they can fly into the wind without blinding themselves. Nature thinks of everything!

Mix and turn into a casserole dish: 3 cups cooked butternut squash, 1/2 cup sugar,
2 eggs, 1 t. vanilla, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup milk and 1/8 t. salt.
Sprinkle with a mixture of: 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup melted
butter, 1 cup flaked coconut and 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans.
Bake at 350o for 30 to 40 minutes.

To balance the load, equal time should be given to the beauty and joy, and love from everywhere, but it is not.

Here is a week of news from one very small spot on earth:

In crow morse code, the feathered heralds shouted new messages from tall tree tops. Flocks of hundreds of crows swirled through the blue-gray sky. I've never seen them gather in such numbers. Some flew so low that I could see their feather-fingered wing tips claw the wind.

The first geese winged through to the north, and red-winged blackbirds came to stay. Our ducks enjoyed a tub bath and preened all day out in the open air, tails twitching with duck joy.

Our pup, Bonnie, sprinted and leaped like a gazelle through tall dried grass in the field, straining to keep track of the other dogs and me.

Ridge walking and hollow hiking, I found my first spring flower buds. Bird music filled the air wherever I roamed.

On the day that spring was laid low by the snow, I watched birds win their struggles to fly against the snow-laden wind. My dog, Bal, rolled and rolled in the snow, while I ran in and out of the house, feeding animals and birds. The birds were thick as fleas in my dooryard.

When nighttime came, I stood on the snow, in the moonlight and under a skyful of piercingly bright stars. I let earth's natural loveliness make me happy. The shadows in the moonlight were a treasure to pocket and keep. I hope that heaven is not always light. For I would miss the beauty of the night.

The next morning, there was a snow-pink sunrise. I walked on snow that was as soft as a cloud.

Tonight, the cardinals shine like bright lights in the twilight. What beauty can surpass a red bird in the snow?

These are but a few of the natural things I've seen this week. And think how many times this beauty is multiplied the whole earth over. We are all given a choice. I choose the wild and happy news.

Jean's book of ramblings and recipes "A Country Mile of Winter" and her book of poetry "The Earth's My Home" are available for $4.95 each plus $1.30 for postage and handling. Ten of Jean's favorite recipes will be included free with each book ordered. Order from...

Country Mile Publications
616 E. Monroe St.
Delphi, Indiana 46923