Spring Comes To Cherry Pond

I had been adding new material to my original Cherry Pond post, but decided to bring the new material up to this new post.

The pond greeted us on the first day of spring with a frosting surprise.

I briefly thought of joining this year's class action suit against that fraudulent expert witness Punxsutawney Phil, who appears to have pulled a fast one on us this year. However, most snow melted by sundown, so we'll let Phil off the hook once again.

Also that night, the snow seemed to bring a newcomer to the pond area, the first owl I've heard since moving here. It was an 8-hoot owl (say 'who cooks for you' twice, with slight emphasis on you), also known as a Barred Owl, an eastern newcomer to the area that is becoming a threat to our native Northern Spotted Owl. He was quite vocal between 11PM and midnight, and I fell asleep to repeated calls every 30 seconds or so. But apparently, no female answered, so his was a one night concert.

An April surprise brought a Canada Goose to the railing of our deck, remaining there for at least 15 minutes and allowing me to open the door ten feet away and take photos. I thanked the goose, and it flew off to answer the call of some geese at the other end of the pond.

The goose had attracted my attention via a repeated knocking noise, waking me and beckoning me to get out of bed and answer the back door. I truly am a fully rational being, but a primal, shadowy thought, from seemingly nowhere, flitted across my consciousness: what spirit associated with this location might have returned to visit in the shape of a goose? I can easily imagine how my prehistoric Germanic ancestors were motivated to devote considerable spiritual energy toward such augury, often involving birds. Will such workings of the human brain ever be fathomed? Omen, omen, speak to me; should I play the lottery?

A further surprise came that evening, when the Barred Owl's return was noted, even closer than before, so that Debby could hear it also.