Still Winter, or Spring Deferred?

 

2 Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

sun, moon, and stars in their courses above

join with all nature in manifold witness

to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.  R

From the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness 

There are people I follow on social media in Great Britain whom I appreciate for a variety of reasons. I do get tetchy at times when they wax on about the change of seasons with crocuses and blue bells in profusion while we are still in the heart of Winter here in Canada. Even when Spring officially rolls around in March it is usually a matter of wishful thinking rather than observable fact in many places in this country. I got an email from British illustrator/artist Angela Harding yesterday about her new book in a series on the seasons called Spring Unfurled and I wondered if someone should create a Spring Deferred version for Canada. 

I'm almost reluctant to admit that we have been thrilled by the sustained Winter since the beginning of the New Year. There has been a lot of grumbling about the snowy, cold February but we've been happy.  Ruth has achieved the trifecta of skating, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing and I've participated in the latter two. We've gone on walks in the woods following snowfalls that were enchanting in sight and sound. It is a different auditory experience to walk in a forest in Winter. While we are weeks (let's hope not months) away from those crocuses or woodland trilliums it was thrilling to see a pair of bald eagles back at their nest adjacent to the frozen Moira River earlier this month.

                                                                         Japanese Micro-Seasons

I do like that while Japan has four distinct seasons corresponding with ours, according to traditional Japanese calendars, the year is actually divided into 72 "micro-seasons" which offer a much more nuanced view of seasonal changes throughout the year. 

It is readily observable around us that seasons are becoming more unpredictable in Canada. One of our micro-seasons could be Maple Syrup but producers are well aware that climate change has turned the once regular rhythms of the late Winter, early Spring, into a crapshoot for the flow of sugary sap. Scientists still don't know how the ascent of sap in trees works and for me it is one of the quiet miracles of the natural world. That it can be harvested without harming the trees and become the perfect companion of pancakes is almost beyond comprehension. 

I will continue to mutter and roll my eyes about the Brits singing the praises of Spring but the seasons are a wonder of Creation and paying attention to the changes is an act of prayer. 

                                      Old Man Navigating Deep Snow N of Sharbot Lake on Weekend

                          Plucky Snowshoeing Wife of Old Man Beside Canada's Mississippi River