March 30, 2009

  • What marks the beginning of spring to you?

     

    I suppose I could tell everyone how Spring makes me feel. But that wouldn't really be answering the question. I could write some type of temperamental tribute to the joys and odes of the season, but that was not the question.

    The question was, "What MARKS the beginning of Spring?"  Hmmm a marker.... Hmmm  I must admit that I hesitated to answer this Featured Question because of the connotation and reputation intrinsic with my chosen marker. Some may find it odd, others may definitely consider it a bit crude. I assure you that in this case I'm not trying to be humorous.

    My answer involves

     MANURE

    There I've said it.

    Not necessarily a topic of conversation around the dinner table; it is the still the most reliable marker that I know. I have complete faith in the local farmers to determine when Spring is really and truly, unmistakably on the way. Their accuracy is important. Why? Well they must spread the manure on the fields at precisely the perfect moment or risk disaster. There comes a point in late Winter when the farmer must decide to generously spread his home grown fertilizer and the natural byproduct of milk production (You do like your cheese, right?) on the fields that will provide the silage for next years bumper crop of manure.

    snow stuck

     

    Spread too soon and the tractor can't navigate the deep snow drifts.

     

    stuck in mud

    Too late and the tractor is consumed by the muddy fields.

    DISASTER

    So the first sign of Spring is dark streaks splayed across the white fields and the whiff that accompanies my most reliable harbinger of Spring's dawning.

    spraying_manure_on_snow

    Pinch your nose and smile....

    HappyCow

    Spring has arrived.

    I just answered this Featured Question; you can sniff it too!

     

     

Comments (4)

  • You aren't just a kidding!  I just posted about this very thing.  I hate it!  Even with the windows closed it makes it into the house.

  • I can so relate - being an old farm girl, myself. As soon as things "thaw out", fresh spring air in the country takes on a life of its own!  It's a lot better than living in the middle of an industrial area and smelling factory fumes. Maybe.

  • @merryapple1 - Oh definately. I live in the middle of "glove" country, too. So, outside the city, spring brings wiffs of that good old country air. Inside the city you get the odiferous offerings of the many hide tanneries.... oh so awful especially when the breeze is drifting my way. Well, not so much anymore since so much of our industry has beat a path to Mexico and China.

  • For me it is something even stinkier, fox musk markers when they are looking for a mate or staking out territory
    Whew it's so bad the dog won't even roll in it.

Comments are closed.

Post a Comment