Spring

Ok, so I started this blog because I wanted to share some of what my life as a priest was really like - a behind-the-scenes so-to-speak perspective.  And, truth be told, I found that I did not write as often as I had wanted, for a variety of reasons.

But then came Lent, and I decided that perhaps the best way to get back into the habit of writing regularly was to 'publish' my daily homilies.  And, lo and behold, it seems I now have more followers, and even a comment or two left for me as well.  So, that seems to be a good thing.

However, I still have not succeeded in my original purpose, so I thought today I would do just that.  As many know, my 'weekend' is Tuesday and Wednesday.  This week I decided to take a trip up to my 'retreat' in New Hampshire, which, at this time of year, is a totally different world than here in CT!  The old joke is that there are only two seasons in New Hampshire - Winter and the 4th of July.  Whoever said that was wrong.  There are three seasons - Winter, the 4th of July, and Mud Season.  This is Mud Season!

The road to my property in normally dirt and gravel.  However, now it is a mud pit.  The town has been adding gravel daily, but it doesn't seem to be doing much good.  Since I had no use for my 4 wheel drive this winter, I was glad to be able to use it in the mud.  Without it, one's car would be swallowed by the road.

I was happy to see the ice and snow completely gone.  I quickly went about unwrapping my kayak from the tarps I used for protection from the winter, putting the bars on my roof rack, hoisting the 15' kayak up and securing it, putting the paddles and life preserver into the car, and navigating the mud back down to Lake Sunapee - a ten minute drive.

So, you can imagine my utter amazement, when I pulled into the harbor parking lot, to gaze out at the lake and see it was still completely covered with ice!  There WAS some water showing close to the edge, but it did not go very far.  Boy was I bummed.  An 80 degree day, and not able to get on the water.  I thought I was going to be able to go for a paddle for the first time ever in the month of March!  Instead, I walked the 3 mile loop that goes around part of the lake.

Today, I did not even bother taking the kayak to the lake.  I went down to the harbor, parked, and went for my walk once again.  When I got back to the harbor, to my amazement, all the ice had melted in the harbor.  And, as I watched, the ice was melting back literally before my very eyes - about 8 feet an hour!  I have never seen anything like it.  Not wanting to trudge through the mud two more times, I quickly dismissed the idea of going back for my kayak.

It truly is remarkable how the seasons progress at different rates in different climates.  While I have crocus, hyacinth and daffodil in full bloom in my garden here, along with leaves on my rose and butterfly bushes, there isn't a sign of flowers anywhere up there.  Eventually the seasons will 'catch up' with one another, but then autumn comes quicker up there than down here, too.

But, spring IS on the way in New Hampshire, too.  I noticed the phoebes, who make two nests every year on the overhangs on my house, have completed their annual trek from Mexico.  Fortunately for them, mosquitoes already abound!