Okie Wheel of the Year: March 1, 2021

Spring Sunset is Treefrog Song Time

A few days ago, I heard a tree frog. Just one. He sounded like a squeaky grocery cart wheel, out there all alone, peeping into the void. I thought the thick snowmelt mud and warm sun must have woken him up a little early and wondered at his future. Then, last night, two more joined in. There’s no rust on the Year Wheel. It is still turning even if it is March 1st and not a single daffodil bloom in sight here. The earlier blooms all froze and wilted. Half of me feels the eager pull of the warming sun to get busy and do all the things. The other half feels more like the storm-broken trees and ice-flattened stems and just wants to rest for a minute longer. Whew, what a winter! I see the new daffodils shooting up out of the ground and think, “Mowing season will be here soon enough. No need to rush. Have a cup of tea and think for a minute.”

hairy bittercress

I find myself walking around the yard looking for signs of life on the fruit trees, the spring bulbs, and under the old withered grass, and thinking about the lessons learned from this winter. Maybe we’ll never see another winter like this in our lifetime. Maybe this is just a hint of climate change consequences to come. Over at the Southern Plains Perspective, a blog about climate change and farming in Oklahoma, they refer to the need for farmers and ranchers to have a “climate change, extreme weather adaptation plan.” This, they explain, need not be a high-tech sales pitch kinda plan, just taking a good, hard look at the weather extremes we see today and think about preparations we are currently capable of making now in case those conditions come again. Sound advice for us all. 

Late shoots survive this time

My own weather-preparedness wish list has definitely had a generator at the top since October 2020. Now is the time to remember the little things that would have made life that much easier during long-term winter weather. Most winters I don’t really need what the northerners would call a true winter coat, but I do need something serious to wear just in case. I also need to replace my rain boots. Cracks above my ankles don’t really matter for walking through mud, but 10 inches of snow makes for a cold surprise.

Thinking about rain boots reminds me that March is time to start prepping for spring storm season. The cold extremes in February overshadowed the lack of actual rain, which means draught is still on the menu. Weather oracles are talking about a drier, warmer spring, but that doesn’t mean no storms. That dry south wind can create some crazy energy. Whew. That’s a lot of planning.. I think I’ll make my cup of tea and listen to the frogs singing the sun down.