The Reindeer Keeper

If I am in the kitchen and happen to look out the window, more often than not these days I notice a robin, moving about and then stopping, then moving about and stopping over and over again in search of something to eat. I think it is the same robin that did the same thing last year at this time because that particular robin has taken up residence in the same nest as last year. I hope the robin can't tell I put a Christmas ornament in the nest. It made the perfect decoration with snow all around. Funny how the seasons slip in and out of our lives as we hurry about. One day you notice that mountain of snow that you thought would never go away has melted and grass is in need of cutting. Spring flowers have pushed their way through the cold, blossoming just when you need a bit of color in the landscape, and your heart. Yesterday my son Brian and I went on our favorite cruise, taking us through Amish country. Signs of spring were everywhere. Roadside stands were opening up. Soil was be...

I've been in my glory for a few months now, relishing in my favorite season where the colder it is, the better it is; the higher the snowbanks, the higher I'd like them to go. But I realize all good things do come to an end-for awhile that it is until Mother Nature brings Winter back around in all its freezing and slendid, breathtaking glory. Besides the calendar there are hints everywhere that this natural flow of events is about to happen. I've discovered tulips and daffodils peeking out from their winter beds. I've heard the honking announcements from geese high above. I've seen their majestic flocks and watched them land in precision formations in fields and along creek beds. Streams are flowing. Tiny buds on trees are breaking through and suddenly, my winter coat's too warm and my winter boots unnecessary. I feel I'm in dire need of a haircut and I have absolutely nothing to wear! It'd be so much easier if we could just keep things as they are....