the most beautiful sign of spring: the return of the ospreys

[selinker]

What: The clockwork return of mated pairs of ospreys to the Pacific Northwest in early spring, to raise a family before returning south to California in the fall.

Comments

[dextra]

the most beautiful sign of spring when i lived in rural eastern ontario was when the chipstand opened up, and you could buy your first authentic poutine.

runners up- hearing the frog and cricket chorus/cacophany begin. from the silence of the winter, broken only by the occasional wolf howl, the pleasant change of listening to the critters in swamp and field croaking or chirping about how sexy they were always made my night.

[selinker]

Mmmm, poutine. Canada's attempt to give itself a nationwide cardiac arrest. Tasty stuff.

The frogs here don't seem to take the winter off, so I hadn't thought of that as a sign of spring. We especially like one of our local frogs, whom we first encountered between a couple of soaked boxes in a water-heater spill in our garage. He hopped into the brush thereafter, and we hear him (or at least we think it's him) regularly outside our window.

[seekingferret]

Hmm... for me, the signs of spring I anticipate are April Fool's Day and Baseball Opening Day. And as an East Coaster, the bird I look forward to is the robin.

[selinker]

Opening Day is fun, but April baseball bores me. Those early games feel devoid of consequence to me, given how many there are in a season. Baseball is a summer sport in my world

[seekingferret]

I pull pranks 365 days a year, but as people begin to distrust me, my most effective pranks are ones that play off that expectation. I had an apartment where the hot and cold water knobs were switched in the shower. I used to love warning people about the switch, in such a tone as they wouldn't believe me. Thinking they were outsmarting me, they'd treat the shower as if the knobs weren't switched, and get an unexpected blast of cold water.

April Fool's is the best day of the year to pull effective non-pranks, because everyone has a heightened awareness that lets you really trade in their insecurity.

[selinker]

Maybe. Since it's my job, I don't want mine competing with a lot of noise. Especially if that noise is brilliant, as many are.

[selinker]

I knew you would bring up the cherry blossoms, TK. Those Sakuras by the Tidal Basin are just about the loveliest thing in America. Thanks, Japan!

Sandstorms, garbage falling in Charles... those I did not think you would bring up.

I left the ospreys' name derivation open for solvers, but if you want a spoiler, this is the source.

[zeke_altret]

On the subject of tulips:

Tulip Time Festivle in Holland Michigan. It's a pretty big to-do with wooden shoes and traditional costumes. Huge ammounts of people.

http://www.tuliptime.com/

I'm not from there, but I lived about 30 minutes north for most of my life... I thought you might find it interesting.

Here in Colorado it's a tie between the 2 weeks of green for the year, and the snow storm the last day of April- and possibly again sometime in the next couple weeks. Depends on how the manic depressive daughter of mother nature who watches over us in CO feels that week.

[selinker]

Indeed. You will note no snow-related Contenders in my list. Snow is a wonderful thing... on the mountains where it belongs. Get the hell off my lawn, Mr. Snow!

The least beautiful sign of spring

[zargon]

At least in Whitehorse, is when the snow melts and warms up all the dog poop that accumulated over winter ....

Re: The least beautiful sign of spring

[selinker]

You live in a strange and magical world.

Re: The least beautiful sign of spring

[zargon]

Northern Canada and Alaska *IS* a very strange and immensely magical world!