One of the sure signs that summer is around the corner is the call of the phoebe. Sine they are a flycatcher their arrival tells me that the bugs are out. Our phoebes arrived last week and we are greeted on every trip outside by calls of “phoebe”. For a few summers they were adamant about nesting in the garage or directly over the door. Last summer they found a new nesting spot and I hope that they settle there again this year.
Yesterday was warm and sunny and we spent a good part of the morning sitting on the deck. After a long winter it felt great to be sitting outside in the sun. Even if the snow was piled high around the deck making, it hard to see over the top of the pile. With the onset of warm weather I have seen several chipmunks out and about having come out of hibernation. Clearly spring is on its way and the next few weeks will bring gradually warming temperatures and thawing ice.
I spent a good part of this afternoon getting things out in anticipation of the coming season. Not everything to be sure, the busy part of the year is still a ways off, the detail items that make things flow. Fresh batteries in the GPS, go over the first aid kit, make sure there are matches in my match safe. I also put some retail items in the Yukon so that they will be handy if needed.
