I was talking to a fellow old-timer the other day and
I asked him what he was doing. His answer:
“I’m watching the snow melt.” I had to fess up that I’d been doing that as
well.
As a kid, I always looked forward to the first snow in
fall, and I was just as excited to see the snowmelt, even though it meant a lot
of spring work was just on the horizon. Beyond watching the snow melt, I liked
to listen to it melt. A 20-acre field east
of the farmstead on the home farm had a rather steep hill with a gulley. Over the years, dad filled the gulley with
stones that he picked from the field. The most beautiful sound was that of meltwater gurgling over the stones as the snow melted. I would often walk out there
to hear what I called “Nature’s music.”
Each spring as the snow melted, it created a little stream
of meltwater that ran between the house and the barn. One year, Dad made a little waterwheel out of
a cedar shingle. He placed it on the meltwater stream. In the morning, the little waterwheel didn’t
move. By mid-afternoon on a warm, sunny
day, the little waterwheel would turn rapidly, making a “flip, flip” sound that
I remember so well to this day. We knew that when the waterwheel stropped
turning for good, that spring work was just around the corner.
Oh, the smells, sights and sounds of spring. Nature in all its glory.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: What
fun it is to both watch and listen to the snow melt.
WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS:
To purchase Jerry’s books, go to your local bookstore,
order online from bookshop.org, or from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial
Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and
ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org
If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby
and visit Dregne’s. and look at their
great selection of my books, including my new ones, or order a book by calling
them at 1-877-634-4414. They will be happy to help you.
1 comment:
Jerry,
My Dad used to say, "Snowfall in December is beautiful.....Snowfall in April is ugly. And, once again, he was right.
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