There is a sort of gallows humor to the old saying, “Eleven months of winter and one month of hard sledding.” Of course, year-round County residents know better — there is also mud season and black fly season, after all. But sometimes we really need to look hard for some sign of spring if only because psychologically, we really need something that lends promise that the back of winter is broken.
The doubters and pessimists may need to see the smokey pink of swollen maple buds swell to a filigree of pale, ruffled leaves before they say goodbye to cold weather survival mode. Even ye of little faith are inclined to believe the first taste of dandelion greens or fiddleheads is the start of a new season. Most don’t wait so long. What is the sign that you look for at this time of year to tell you that, in spite of setbacks of late season snow squalls or early morning icy patches crossing bridges, spring is really and truly here?
For some outdoor enthusiasts, slushy skiing, snowshoeing or snowmobiling is excuse enough to believe that another season has started. For fishing folk, it is “open water season,” even if the water in this part of the state is still too solid to go onto the water in boats or into the water in boots — at least they no longer dare take a house along with them! Real live American Dolls show off their Easter finery, though many years, these little girls are still bundled under puffy winter coats until they get to church. Teens stubbornly insist that flip-flop season has arrived while skirting slushy puddles on the walks. Owners of orchards take comfort from believing that, though the heady perfume of apple blossoms is still “a ways out,” at least the damage from deer and voles is done for this year. We squint at the dwindling woodpile and estimating the number of days left to wood stove season, swap felt-lined boots for rubber knee boots to go play Pooh Sticks in the flood zone trying to get it to drain, and herald the appearance of mud in the yard anticipating a lawn some day soon.
It is not just humans who are searching hard for signs of spring. Outside our window, a botanical calendar of brave blooms push against the edge of the receding snow … crocus, dandelions, daffodils, violets, lilacs. In the sugar bush, sunny days and crisp nights pump sugar maples full of sap headed for the evaporator and poured golden smooth into jugs. Peepers herald the coming of spring and their willingness to join the gene pool even as their actual pools are sealed with a crust of ice at night. Canada geese are back in twos and threes, hopscotching north one step behind ice-out hoping to claim the best nesting sites even farther north. Robins bob about, worm-hopeful, while ravens who braved the winter storms with us, now pair up and assess treetops for nest potential. Mud tracked through the house is punctuated by rollicking tumbleweeds of shedding pet hair rolling across the floor when an open door generates a breeze. Clearly all living things are anticipating the change of seasons.
We at the Presque Isle Farmers Market hope that one of the best signs of spring for our loyal patrons is opening day on Saturday, May 7, just in time for Mothers Day. While our fields and gardens are in the same stage of gummy, chilled recovery as yours may be, producers of livestock, dairy and eggs, bakers, makers of preserves, bottlers of honey, and growers of bare root stock for fruit trees and canes, are not so season-dependent. Stop by to say hello, meet some new members, and form (or restart) a habit of shopping for good things grown or produced locally, available every Saturday morning in the parking lot at the Aroostook Centre Mall from now until Columbus Day. It’s a sign!
Editor’s note: This weekly column is written by members of the Presque Isle Farmers’ Market. For more information or to join, contact their secretary/treasurer Steve Miller of Westmanland at 896-5860 or via e-mail at beetree@xpressamerica.net.
