By Mark Buckley
Through My Eyes
First, I hope you had a happy Valentine’s Day, and you were able to spend it with someone you love. I did with the love of my life, Geneva, but she has a bad head cold, so we didn’t go out to eat. On our last trip to Topeka, I purchased pounds of chocolate for her at the Russell Stover’s factory in Abilene (we go so often we are frequent fliers and receive extra discounts), so chocolate was out. She asked me not to buy flowers, so we spent a quiet have a romantic meal of sloppy joes, peas, and chips. Oh, by the way, I did buy her a ring for Valentine’s Day. I did not buy it from Dick Westphal, or even Nick Wollenhop. I bought her ring at Home Depot. Now you have to guess what type it was.
As for Friday the 13th, I hope you had a safe and successful one, no black cats, broken mirrors, or stepping under ladders. If you like Friday the 13th, good news: we will have another one in just four more weeks.
Now on to the subject: Fool’s Spring. Have you noticed any early signs of spring: a robin chirping in your yard, or the shrill cry of a red-winged blackbird? Are your crocus, daffodils (or jonquils) popping up to catch the last winter sunrays? Is your fescue or blue grass yard starting to green up? Well don’t be fooled. We are in Fool’s Spring, and we have more winter to come.
For 10 years I worked the east pass gate at the National Junior College Athletic Association basketball tournament (boy was that an experience), and you know what I observed about the weather? It rained or snowed seven of those 10 years on St. Patrick’s Day. So, watch out for a late snow or blizzard.
Now I know we are in Fool’s Spring, not because Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, or because our own Ike the Buffalo saw his shadow. I follow the true predictors of spring, the birds that eat in my bird feeders. Birds? you ask. Yes, I have watched my gold finches, pine siskins, juncos, and chickadees for over 40 years, and they have never led me astray.
The pine siskins are still feeding, but their appetites are starting to increase. The juncos are still cleaning up the seeds under my feeders. The gold finches are just starting to feed on my nyjer seed but have not yet started turning yellow. And the chickadees, they are still diving my feeders to catch a sunflower heart.
But what about the robins? I have had two robins feeding under my bird feeders all winter. You see not all Robins migrate south each year as well as ring-necked doves.
So, when does spring, not Fool’s Spring, come? It is when my oak tree turns yellow with hundreds of gold finches. When the turtle (mourning) doves return to feed with the robins and red-winged blackbirds under my feeders. It’s when George, Quacker, and Henrietta (my mallard ducks) return to nest and hatch a new brood.
I wish you a happy Fool’s Spring, but if I were you, I would keep the snow shovel close and don’t put away your heavy coat and gloves because Old Man Winter isn’t finished yet!
Mark Buckley is the president of Toy Depot. He can be reached at 620-474-6100.