There is a raccoon across the alley on my neighbour’s roof. It has been there all morning. Every now and then, it stretches, scratches itself, and then curls up and goes back to sleep. Is this a sign of spring? The red wing black birds have bullied all the chickadees and nuthatches out of their usual shrubbery. The noise is deafening. Is this a sign of spring? Next door, there are dozens of robins having a serious debate about something. Most likely a sign of spring?
But it’s snowing again, there is black ice underfoot, three coyotes have been spotted in the middle of frozen Grenadier pond, trying to find a way back onto the shore, and I need a hot bowl of soup.
But the clocks have sprung ahead, chocolate eggs and hot cross buns are in the shops, the geraniums in the window are blooming, and someone has spread a rainbow of colours under the picnic tables on the snow in the park.
Is it spring? I am not putting my winter coat away yet, but I am going out to poke around in the garden to see if the snowdrops are still blooming under the piles of snow I just shovelled over them.
By Danielle
