“In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.”
The red spawn has me crazed. I run out onto the deck and chase it every time I see it at the feeder. Yesterday I threw a plastic bottle at it from the upstairs window. It ran off as fast as its little feet could move. I’m now thinking a Have-a-Heart trap and relocating the spawn miles away from here but near woods and trees with pinecones. A change of scenery might be just what the spawn needs. I’ll think of it as his summer digs.
Last night was winter cold, in the 20’s. Today is still cold and windy. The sun is intermittent.
When we have a really nice, spring-like day as we did a few days ago, I get hopeful and sit on the deck in the sun. I breathe in air redolent of spring and its first flowers. Off in the distance are the sounds of mowers and grass blowers clearing and cleaning yards, a spring ritual. I am then even more certain winter has taken its final bow but then comes a morning like yesterday’s. A coating of snow-covered the garden and the grass and made walking slippery. The snow had that crunchy frozen sound, and it didn’t melt until later in the day when it got warmer. I love that snow this time of year always has me thinking about my dad. He called it poor man’s fertilizer and now all of us do.
I don’t remember when I started noticing the way the seasons change. I know when I was a kid each season had an identity. Summer was months of no school. It was staying up late, sleeping outside in the backyard and being gone all day on my bike exploring places like the railroad tracks, the farm and the zoo. Fall was school and colored leaves to be preserved in ironed wax paper. It was Halloween and Thanksgiving. Winter was Christmas. It was snow days and sledding down the hill and ice skating at the swamp. Spring of all the seasons has the palest identity. It was shedding the winter layers of clothes, riding my bike to school and it was Easter and the Easter basket, always the best part of the day. I knew they’d be a rabbit with ears prime for eating, a coloring book and crayons and a few more small toys. The grass hid the jelly beans and hard colored candy eggs with white in the middle. I still don’t know if they have a name. New clothes were part of the day but didn’t bring me near as much excitement as that basket.
Now I see the seasons by the changes, not the events. Spring is my favorite season when the world slowly wakes up from winter. I am so excited when I see the first green tips of the flowers in the garden: the crocus, the dafs and the hyacinths. Every day brings more and more flowers to life, and I check the garden every morning so as not to miss a single flower.
Spring comes slowly, and I am still learning to be patient.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: chaning seasons, Christmas, fall and school, have-a-heart trap, red spawn of Satan, relocation of the spawn, seasons and identities, snow'poor man's fertilizer, summer, windy and cold
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
April 17, 2014 at 11:02 am
your division of the holidays by season is so much more gentle than mine. i sort them in two primary categories..booze or candy holidays, as the primary drug of choice for people. of course there is alot of overlapping. halloween candy for kids harder stuff for ‘adults’. i figure its always good to know what the world is fueled on…
April 17, 2014 at 12:58 pm
Greg,
I have even now certain holiday traditions. My friends and I decorate small gingerbread houses at Christmas, make Mardi Gras floats and decorate sugar skulls for Day of the Dead. Every one makes the holidays special.
We do have special drinks as well if we re so inclined!
April 17, 2014 at 11:28 am
I thought of this the other day and today’s post reminded me to tell you…. I think maybe you should buy one of those Super Soaker Guns and try that. You don’t have to get up from your chair or chaise. Just reach over, pick it up, and POW! SPLAT! SPLASH!
April 17, 2014 at 12:59 pm
im6,
I love that idea, and I will get myself one. It will be fun to splash that spawn into oblivion!
April 17, 2014 at 12:42 pm
Hi Kat,
I second im6 with modifications. Get a super soaker and fill it full of anti-squirrel mix which is one bottle of the hottest hot sauce you can find, a gallon of water and a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. Spray everything you don’t want the spawns to touch.
I assume you could also spray the spawn as long as you don’t aim at the eyes. Spritzing squirrels could be a fun party pastime. 🙂
Mix peppercorns in with the bird seed at the feeder. The birds don’t care but it bothers the spawns.
I throw down wildlife feed with unshelled peanuts on the ground. The squirrels leave my bird feeders alone.
Sometimes I think the spawns know that I had the resident squirrels killed and they’re behaving because I will have them terminated if they don’t.
There are still patches of ice here and there around the neighborhood. It’s cold.
But, I heard peepers the other night and my peonies have begun to sprout. The peonies seem to have weathered the snow. Not sure about the peepers.
Enjoy the day.
April 17, 2014 at 12:53 pm
Wow, Caryn has really thought this thing through! I was just sort of letting my mind ramble and being my usual scattered self. Just seemed like an idea at the time, but now you have some serious artillery at your disposal. I love brainstorming!
April 17, 2014 at 1:03 pm
im6,
I’m going with the artillery-I love the idea of toting anti-squirrel ammo.
April 17, 2014 at 1:02 pm
Hi Caryn,
Okay, I’m adding your suggestion to the soaker! I love it!!
I was putting pepper in with the seeds but a breeze blew it all back into my face once, and I decided not to give it another try, but I like the liquid idea.
I do the same with peanuts and even squirrel corn, but they consider that an appetizer for the seeds in the feeders. The try spawns have stopped being a nuisance.It is only the red spawn making my life miserable.
I too heard peepers the other night, one of the welcome sounds of spring!
Lots of different birds are now at the feeders,but the male goldfinches with their bright yellow are a favorite.
Have a great day!
April 17, 2014 at 10:19 pm
I assumed that one put the whole peppercorns in, not the ground up stuff. I could be wrong, though.
Your story reminds me of the time I thought it would be a brilliant idea to put Absorbine in a spray jar so I could spray it on my horse’s leg. Mind you this was NOT Absorbine Jr, the stuff for people, but full strength papa bear Absorbine for horses.
A stray puff of wind blew it in my face. It was like getting hit with pepper spray.
April 17, 2014 at 10:26 pm
I figure the peppercorns would pelt him which is added annoyance for the red beast.
That red pepper was horrific in my eyes. I put my face under the faucet do I could clear my eyes. Bad idea that was.
April 17, 2014 at 1:23 pm
It was just as cold here yesterday morning but without the snow. Today is stormy and the rain flies sideways, it doesn’t seem to hit the ground at all 🙂
It was much the same for me when I grew up but I did notice spring and each flower that turned up, I guess that’s what happens when gropwing up in a family filled with gardeners 🙂 Autumn was an endlessly long dull period with no holidays at all to look forward too. Life seemd to slowly die away antul December and First of Advent when we finally had some holidays to look forward to again.
My four day weekend starts now because we have a holiday on Easter Monday as well. I really don’t care what weather we’ll have, I’m just happy to be at home 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
April 17, 2014 at 3:38 pm
Christer,
Today the sun came out and it is warmer, in the 40’s. Tonight and the next few nights will be in the 30’s. Winter isn’t done with us yet.
No gardeners in my family so I came by loving flowers when I got my own house. I am proud of my front garden.
We have Halloween and then Thanksgiving in November so the longest time if from Christmas to February when we had a winter vacation.
I used to love long weekends-enjoy yours!!
Have a great evening.
April 17, 2014 at 4:54 pm
I like the Super Soaker, too. I was going to note that you should probably wait until after baby season was over if you were going to relocate the squirrel, since dead babies are sad, no matter how little you like adults.
(I say that, but I have strong feelings about insect larvae, and they’re just baby bugs.)
April 17, 2014 at 4:56 pm
sprite,
This spawn doesn’t look pregnant and isn’t lactating, but I love the soaker idea anyway so that’s the way I’m going.
April 17, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Snow again? Crazy! Well, …
April 17, 2014 at 6:16 pm
Birgit,
That is wonderful! Whoever made that snow bunny has a sense of humor despite the winter.
Luckily we didn’t get enough snow for anything bigger than a snow mouse.
April 17, 2014 at 6:29 pm
a snow squirrel? 😉
April 17, 2014 at 6:30 pm
Birgit,
A snow squirrel with target on its chest!
April 17, 2014 at 7:52 pm
Are you responsible, Kat?
http://www.eonline.com/news/533262/this-baby-squirrel-fell-out-of-a-tree-and-now-she-has-to-wear-a-little-cast-and-it-is-all-very-very-cute?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories
April 17, 2014 at 8:56 pm
im6,
No, I didn’t do it, but I did save a baby squirrel from Gracie. The dog had it in her mouth and I made her drop it. I put the baby on a tree trunk, but it was exhausted, soaked wet from Gracie and scared. It just sat there squealing at me.
I brought Gracie inside and only took mer out later on a leash. The squirrel wasn’t there in the morning.
April 17, 2014 at 10:25 pm
Awww. In Washington DC they like squirrels. There’s a memorial stone near Lafayette Park in front of the White House that praises some misguided persons for their efforts in bringing the grey squirrel back from the brink of extinction. Seriously. I saw it with my own eyes and almost choked.
April 17, 2014 at 10:30 pm
Caryn,
The fools! If those misguided people had just spent a day at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, they would have found out that squirrels carry more diseases than rats. No statue then!
April 18, 2014 at 6:29 am
I feel very rich. Coming home from an operation and a recovery period I have all of April to read up on.
Your way of mixing past and present and your vividness make this my favourite blog. Long may it continu.
Bert
April 18, 2014 at 10:32 am
Bert,
You just made my day with this comment!! Thank you so much!!
Heal quickly!!
April 18, 2014 at 7:33 am
Hmm. Peppercorns in a pellet gun. Just a suggestion. 🙂
April 18, 2014 at 10:35 am
Caryn,
It’s a great idea except I really don’t want to hurt him just scare him away forever.