Sunday, April 20, 2014

Spring Has Sprung I Think

I, for the first time this year, managed to defeat the barriers of nature and permeate through to the epicenter of the “Woods”.  Could you believe it?  The snow is gone.  The Forest is ready.  But wait!!   A  sparse two inches of snow and freezing driz has caused the thousands of trees,  call them what you would like,  be they millenniums, or whatever, to bow over ever so slightly and whisper “ could we wait until tomorrow?”

No, I responded, I have places to be tomorrow.  Let’s get it over with now.  We should set up our activities calendar, so that there are no conflicts.

Determining the itinerary is our primary goal.  However, we are confronted by David, with his sling and a pocket full of rocks.  It’s like the rays of the sun encroaching on the epicenter, or like the well organized epicenter trying to target the rays of the sun.

In the oft documented story, David struck Goliath a lethal blow, but David did not confront Wisconsin winters and “buckthorn”.  Be that as it was and is, Wisconsin winters can and will slow us down a bit, but when the time is right, we can always use the sling.

A well thought out plan will enable us to accomplish our primary goal, a safe, healthy, productive Forest.  A plan which allows us to clean up the remnants of a less than hospitable winter,  including blow downs, which, incidentally, will help replenish the depleted rows of much needed firewood, ravished by the polar vortex.

But then, yes, what then?  The rays start to target David.  So many adversaries, so few rocks.  The aforementioned blow downs need to be removed.  The villainous buckthorn is wielding it’s thorny shield, and above all, A Story From A Forest is beckoning.

Mari, Lari and Cari are screaming for attention.  The Big Black Oak Tree in the Forest is asking for his next lines.  The kids are wondering who will answer their questions, if and when the Big Black Oak Tree converts to a condominium.

All this, and yes, we have Black Locust erupting throughout the wild flower garden.  Believe it or not, as I was clipping off the black locust upstarts today, I think I heard that big Black Locust in the neighbor’s yard say “ Did They Just Send One Of You?”