It's Spring? Technically yes.

Slowly but surely the forest is beginning to wake up.

One glorious +8 day yesterday made a major dent in the snow load, water cascaded off the roof of the house like a waterfall and tiny patches of grass started to poke their way through in spots.

Capturing the warmth from the longer days, trees start transferring that solar energy down towards their roots, resulting in radiating rings of soil surrounding their trunks and the faintest aroma of warm wood.
Last night I stepped out on to the deck heading out to do my nightly checks before bedtime and it hit me like a ton of bricks, that realization that I could smell something outside after months nose-silence (is there a word for this? probably, I am not going to bother going to look for it though). I stood there sniffing the air in my pjs until my husband came to see what happened to me.

This year we have more snow remaining on the ground than we have in previous years, as much as I am ready to see green I am grateful for the moisture it will provide the forest which has suffered through excessive drought lately. I like to sew some of my hardy cold tolerant seeds that prefer stratification now with the last of the snow. When I was in school for herbalism I learned it was better to work with nature than fight against it. I love nothing more than a plucky plant that thrives in these harsh conditions.

The days are noticeably longer and although I haven't caught sight of any migratory birds yet, I have heard rumours that they have been spotted in the city. We don't have any baby goats on the ground yet and with the chilly temps up until now I am glad I waited a little bit longer to start my breeding program last fall, large swollen bellies promise baby goat snuggles are coming.