Looking Forward Signs

February is gone now, but it had some great foreshadowing events.  There were skunk smells in the air, about the second week of the month.  That usually indicates the stinky couples are out trying to find each other.  Then the females gestate for the few remaining weeks until Spring.  I know there are several animals with this same behavior, but the skunks are the ones easiest to notice with my nose.

On the evening of February twelfth, a few minutes before sunset, I was sitting on a stump, just watching what went on around me.  Suddenly, much to my enjoyment, Turkey Vultures began to appear and circle in the sky.  It was a marvelous dance to behold.  After getting over the initial thrill, I began an attempt to count them.  This was not an easy task, since they were executing multi-level circling maneuvers.  I would count the ones going west only to be confused by those who had circled back east.  It really took concentration, and there were at least fifty birds in the air when I became frustrated enough to end my efforts.  Still, fifty plus Vultures were a sure sign that Spring would return to Richmond this year.

The tips of Crocuses, Daffodils, and Hyacinths poked out of the ground and shivered.  Often these early flowers get their upward reaching extremities nipped by a frost.  I wish they would wait until the warmth was constant, but that would defeat their survival programming.  The flowers can still be enjoyed, even if slightly damaged and deformed.

So, snow away, you last days of March.  I know your cold and windy ways won't last.  I have been shown the signs of soon to be warmth and life.  I have faith winter will not retain the cold hold it has on our land.

New Years Day Ride

First Ride 2013

   By Kent Beisner    

As was my custom, I started out on a January 1, 2013 "New Year's Day" ride.  I couldn't remember a year that I did not ride on January first.  Often the ride was not very long, and this year it was only about nineteen miles.  Still, it was a determined start to the year and a statement that I would be bicycling again.  I remembered mostly cloudy days on previous rides and usually the roads were not snow covered.  This year was no exception, and a morning drizzle had stopped.  I knew the bicycle would have to be cleaned after splashing along the road.

     My pace was leisurely, because there was no other rider to keep up with.  I could push myself or just enjoy the pedals going around.  As it was, I savored the sights going by.  Winter leaves the landscape with a different covering than that of summer.  The snow was beautiful and brilliantly white, even with an overcast sky.  Passing between trees of a small forest, I appreciated the depth I could see into the woods.  Each tree was a sculpture placed on the snow covered forest floor.  The stark texture of trunks stood out far more than when masked by foliage.  It was nice to behold this often hidden character of the forest.

     Then, while I rode near a small stream, a huge grayness exploded from the water!  I jerked my head to the side to see what was happening.  In all its magnificence, there arose from the stream, a Great Blue Heron startled by my nearness.  It could not gain much altitude, but flew the curves of the stream, as it sought an opening.  I marvelled at the grace with which the large bird flew, surprised at how it navigated the small spaces between trees overhanging the water.  After several tens of yards distance an opening large enough for the great bird appeared and it flew out of the stream path into the sky.  I nearly stopped pedaling just to watch the wondrous event.  In a time to short, the heron was gone over my horizon.  I smiled to know a new memory would reside in my mind for years to come.

     As if the heron was not enough, around the next bend I spied a Red Tail Hawk sitting in a tall tree.  She sat there, so high, as if it was her job to watch me ride by.  I grinned again to recall the silhouette of this predator against the sky.  One more long hill and my ride would be flat and a few miles from finished.  About half way up the hill a startlingly bright group of Red Cardinals flew across the road.  They seemed even redder by their contrast with the snow.  I counted six of the wonderfully red birds.  What a delight this flight of scarlet provided to my eyes.

     I suspect there was a glow from my being as the last few miles were pedaled.  My spirit surly was bright with the sights I had seen.  I'm always thankful for the opportunities to see what God has created and placed in my path.  With such wonders to behold, I will continue to brave the cold of each first day of my years growing old.