At those times when the water level is high enough in the creek at the bottom of the ravine where we hike daily through forest trails with Jackie and Jillie, the presence of detritus built up when twigs and branches are swept downstream creates little rapids and whirlpools, the stream picking up speed as it gushes down and picking up particulate matter from the streambed floor, so that what cascades over obstacles appears brown and muddy, not the least bit attractive.

But the sound it makes, whooshing downstreams and cascading robustly can be heard long before we've reached the bottom of the ravine. Giving us yet another signal that yes, although the landscape belies visually what we're going through, it really is spring. It's not just the look of the forest floor heaped high in layers of ice and snow, it's the effect of the cold radiating out of that snowpack, reminding us that the temperature in the forest doesn't quite equate with what we feel up at street level.

Even while, in fact, the visuals at street level reflect what we're seeing in the forest, since lawns remain piled high with snow and ice. Making us wonder how our buried gardens are faring. It's only the road and driveways that have been relieved of their thick layers of ice as the sun rises higher, remains longer and is increasingly warmer.

Night-time temperatures continue to be in the freezing range, with some level of temperature-relief during the day, so it's a beginning, albeit a tardy one. With the arrival of April, we anticipate that the transition will be advanced with warmer days, more rain events and patience. The last two days of March gave us snowfall as though nature was intent on replacing what has already melted.

When we were out on the trails yesterday it was snowing again, a quite delightful experience as it always tends to be. But puzzling, given the lateness of the season. On the other hand, at this time of year we're always anxious to see the last of winter and we always wonder why it's taking so long for spring to make its entrance.

Jackie and Jillie couldn't care less. They look around for the presence of their friends, and fling themselves into the prospect of a long and leisurely hike in the woods. If they hear something far ahead they react instantly, excited that someone's on the cusp of appearing, and they race ahead to welcome them. Not that they spend a whole lot of time together. It's just the initial greeting, a brief period of re-connection, and then they're all ready to get on with going their separate ways.

Oddly enough, on the penultimate day of March the day began with copious amounts of snow falling, and then by noon that snow turned to freezing rain and then ordinary rain fell continuously for the remainder of the day. The following day the order was reversed, when morning was greeted by rain which eventually turned to snow. If that isn't winter delivering a message of resentment that it's no longer welcome and the expectation is that it'll pack all the baggage of winter and depart, it's hard to figure what else it might be.

We muster our courage and defy winter. Prepared to courteously but firmly show winter the way out. And leaving that door open for spring's arrival. Despite the cold in the forest and the presence of mountains of snow, it's beginning to melt, and none to soon. No need to despair, after all....