Spring is coming!

[Charlize]

I often get depressed as the days get shorter.   Although the holidays often raise spirits of others i often find that the stresses of family and the pressure of entertaining makes me even a bit more depressed.  Fortunately we have a tradition on the farm of making maple syrup.  Oddly it often snows , the weather is grey and the ground is muddy (mud season).  Even so the sap starts to rise as the freeze- thaw cycles of early spring begin.  When i spend time outside in the woods i get to see the world begin to wake to the new warmth of lengthening days.   The skunk cabbage plants are actually breaking ground t the edge of the streams.  

Anyway we collect sap and then boil often late into the night.  Today there is wifi so i get to reach out to others as the evenings draw on and i feed wood to the evaporator.  Boring at times but just another sign that spring is coming and soon i'll welcome warm breezes around a shorter skirt.

 

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[TessaOKC]

Charlize,

 

So glad spring is coming as well !!!! That is an adorable picture!!!!

 

Tess

[Jani]

You look great and the fruits of your labor will be sweet!   Spring is on its way.

 

Jani

[Rachael]

What a nice picture. Spring is coming and it's nice to have something to do to keep our minds occupied. You look happy. Thanks for sharing. 

[tracy_j]

I agree Charlize. My partner and I were only discussing the other day Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and that we were being affected by it. It has been very wet and dull here most days since Christmas. I was cheered up looking at my snowdrops in flower at the weekend, and the sun is shining this morning I will really know when my cacti in the front window start flowering.

 

Tracy

 

[Cyndee]

Here at 47n, we've gotten our daylight hours increasing finally (about 9.5 hours now). SAD is real, especially around these parts. I go outside everyday and do my 5 miles, it's nice to be out raining or not, our lilac tree has new buds forming already. Charlize you look quite happy there. I look forward to the summer hiking season, and life renews.

 

Cyndi -

[MaryEllen]

I am so looking forward to spring. Unfortunately it doesn't appear to be in sight.  At the moment, it's snowing. Wind gusting to 30 MPH and the temperature is 20 degrees F.

[Timber Wolf]

Greetings from the north country!

This sounds kind of strange to me here in Michigan. We are in the traditionally coldest part of the winter season. The ground is frozen and snowcovered, and up home in Baldwin this is the stretch of winter we get our -20 degree nights., or is it ! Mapple syrup season is a month away. My NA sponsor used to live next to an Amish farm and I'd see the buckets on every mapple tree. This years weather has been so crazy I almost wonder if the sap may have started flowing.  

 

But here is a sure sign of springs approach; two Sunday's ago the sun rose in Barrow!

 

I actually lament the lengthening of the days. I love sitting with a fire in the stove, (ok, here in my appartment all I can have is an electric stove with a fake fire, but the ambiance is still nice), and a candle burning with the lights off and some music on! I'm just a child of the night!

 

I am starting to yern a bit for spring though. I just wish summer's heat and humidity didn't have to follow. For myself, I prefer cold and snow over that.❄⛄

 

Lots of love,

Timber Wolf?

[Jani]

Carla, I totally understand your emotions concerning the seasons.  Each one has it's unique pleasures.  While I don't have a fireplace I do enjoy snuggling up with a warm blanket for a nap.  Music by candle light sounds so nice.   Although I like summer I too abhor the extreme heat and humidity.   But I'm ready now for the change in seasons.  Bring it on! 

Jani

[SugarMagnolia]

I've become increasingly affected by this time of year for the last 10 years or so. General ennui, lack of energy and a just generally gloomier outlook. It's been helpful recognizing the pattern, though, as it makes it easier to see it for what it is: something that will pass and get better, and something that (luckily) is not my normal state of being.

Thanks for posting this Charlize! It helps to know others are going through the same thing. And I LOVE that photo!