The Not-So-Bleak Midwinter

Deep in the mountains
too deep to know of Spring
sparkling beads of melted snow
fall slowly, drop by drop
on my pine bough door
- Shikishi Naishinnō

A brief mid-winter thaw today reminded me of a favorite Japanese poem, dating from the thirteenth century. It speaks to me of the first hints of spring, even as the land remains cloaked in winter.

While we typically think of spring as an April event here in Utah, in truth, spring is well on its way, even in mid-January. The winter solstice occurred on December 21, 2008, nearly three weeks ago. As a practical matter, that means the sun warms this spot on the earth for 30-40 minutes longer today than it did then, and will continue to add a few minutes of light and warmth each day from now until the summer solstice in June.

Northern Pintail ducks, some of which overwinter in Central America, are already winging north to their breeding grounds.

Crocuses and Snowdrops, which often bloom in late February in Utah, send up their first green shoots even earlier, right through the snow if necessary.

And midges, a tiny insect beloved by both trout and fly fishermen, hatch clear through the winter, though they seem to like it best on snowy days when the temperature hovers right around freezing.

So, while it seems like we still have weeks and weeks left of bleak, grey winter, Mother Nature is on-the-move and ever changing. Like time itself, she waits for no one.

(Photo courtesy of kittykatfish on Flickr; available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kittykatfish/3048365775/. Poem from Oriori no Uta: Poems for All Seasons by Ōoka Makoto, translated by Janine Beichman.)