I heard a robin on my morning walk the other day. The first one this spring, clear, confident, optimistic. Looking for the early worm?
A day later, when we traveled near Waupun, I saw several flocks of Canada Geese winging north, calling to each other and to us. Sounds of seasonal change. Announcements of spring.
I remember well the sounds of spring when I was a kid, and how we looked forward to them after a long and hard central Wisconsin winter. Some sounds were subtle such as the dripping of melting snow from the barn roof. Other sounds were melodious, at least for me. A small gully in the twenty-acre field north of our farmstead had been filled with field stones to stop the washing. When the snow melted, it ran through and over the rocks making the most beautiful of sounds.
Some spring sounds were loud and window rattling. The first thunderstorm of the season for instance.
Are you listening? Spring is announcing its presence.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: In spring we shake loose the shackles of winter and make big plans and think big thoughts. We celebrate what has passed and look forward to the future with joy and hope.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
March 17, Watertown Public Library, 6:30 p.m. Lighter Side of Country Living
March 19, Fond du Lac Public Library, 6:00 p.m. Chili supper. UW-FDL Commons and Prairie Theater. Featuring LIVING A COUNTRY YEAR.
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2 comments:
Life in the 21st century is so interesting. I was at a memoir group two days ago and a woman said something about a lovely book, something with "country year in the title, and I googled it, and found this one by Jerry Apps, and here I am, reading about a chili supper in Fond Du Lac, wondering about memoir writing, and musing back to my four years in the midwest, at school in Madison, 65-69 hearing names like Fond Du Lac like rural music to my city ears. I hope you all have fun, and have many memories that become today's reality and tomorrow's stories.
Jerry Waxler
Memory Writers Network
Jerry - a stately pair of sandhill cranes stopped by my neck of the prairie today, before heading your way. I enjoyed a up of coffee while they pecked and preened then entertained with a little jig as the redwing blackbirds swooped. What a great way to start the morning. Enjoy!
Writing from Your Life Alum Marianne Shank
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