Spring is one of the most delightful seasons as surprises in nature emerge everywhere you look. After a long, cold, dark winter, life is once again revitalized with the arrival of tender green shoots and buds high and low. Birds return with sweet songs to celebrate the new season. Insects buzz joyfully from bloom to bloom while worms slither out of water-logged gardens to dry out upon higher ground.

April showers are abundant this year with many days of heavy wet rain soaking everything under the clouds. My gortex shoes are my best friend these days. They are light blue, like the sky and their bottom is encased with a thick black rubber soul, which keeps both my feet and heart warm! As I trod through rain-soaked terrain, mud oozes and squishes beneath every step I take. Looking downward, I see mini marshes, tiny rivulets, and ambling waterfalls on either side of the path. Skunk cabbage, wild ferns and flowers decorate the way as I meander up and down, left and right, over and around giant tree roots sprinkled throughout the inlet trail. Tide is in. Ducks, geese and other water fowl swim happily together, splashing, dipping and squawking their usual chorus of cacophony … or maybe it is really the phoney cackles of spectators young and old!

Looking upwards is another sight to behold. High above in the trees is a community of herons. There are at least 11 nests and over 18 herons perched high upon the branches. Each large nest is growing, with male herons flying to and fro, gathering more branches to add to the nest. It is an awe inspiring sight to watch them maneuver freely through the grove of trees. Their large wingspans glide effortlessly as they circle outwards and back with new branches in their beaks.  Heron babies will stay in their nests for 2 months after birth. This new generation will support the continuation of the species, renewing another new cycle of life. Spring is in the air, high and low. Everything is visibly changing. Witnessing this cycle of birth and rebirth rejuvenates the human soul!