So nice it's finally spring. It's been a tough winter, to say the least. A miserably cold winter, to tell the truth, and the truth should be told. There were all too often days too windy and icy-cold and snowy to venture out for regular walks. Too many nights dipping well below minus-20 degrees, with day-tine highs struggling to get above minus-12, and with the wild wind chill factored in, much too inclement for nice leisurely ravine walks.

Particularly with very young puppies. But they're getting their ravine walk credits fairly regularly now.

So, I repeat; finally it's spring and it's so lovely to anticipate its full arrival. What is certain is that it has been delayed. For the last two nights we've had minus-20 degree temperatures with winds raging in the 50 mph range. So, not nice.

When it's horribly cold we often see more birds coming to the feeders at the front of the house. And the squirrels. We've noted that the ravine squirrels appear to be at the very least semi-hibernating. Those times when I do put peanuts out in scattered caches in the forest they aren't always taken up, as swiftly as usual, signalling few squirrels about to take advantage of them. But around the house, they're fully awake and ravenous. We see some squirrels spending literally hours at a time at the squirrel feeder.

Last evening, before we sat down for our pizzas, we watched a small flock of doves seated comfortably on the porch, evidently having satiated their appetites beforehand. They're usually around very early in the morning and tend to return in the afternoon, when dusk is about to fall, as they did yesterday.

When squirrels are about, the doves pay little mind to them, and it isn't unusual for us to see both in close proximity; the doves quietly resting and the squirrels bustling about. Goldfinches, cardinals, juncos are often to be seen as well. And yesterday we heard the unmistakable spring song of a robin.

So spring is coming, merely delayed, most anguishingly.