We Call It Spring

TWO MILESTONES LOOM

Close It Down

Open It Up

it's getting close

A COLONY OF ICICLES FORMS AS SNOW MELTS AT OLD FAITHFUL

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.. The calendar in a tourist town is skewed toward the arrival of hoards of visitors and significant activities pertaining thereunto. Conventional calendric milestones sometimes coincide with with local significance; often not.

An Idiocy Of Snowmobiles

.. Our neighbors can feel the upcoming improtant days and events in their bones. Right now their bones are tingling and they've become antsy. Two coincident events, (and yet a third,) are imminent.
.. The world snowmobile expo is just 10 days away. That chaos is a bit of calendric hoopla that we endure because of it's proximity to the official end of the winter season in Yellowstone National Park, which is on March 15, 2013.
.. Meanwhile, as the sleds zoom around town frightening the constabulary, residents, dogs, cats, children and wildlife; quiet preparations are being made inside Yellowstone National Park for the opening onslaught of early season visitors.

An Unkindness Of Ravens

.. Insulation, (placed there to keep snow on the grround for over-the-snow vehicles,) is being cleared from the warm sections of roads. Cavernous pot holes, (the result of numerous freeze-thaw cycles,) are filled.  Repairs of leaky roofs and frozen pipes are undertaken and, 'seasonal staff' are gearing-up for their stint in Wonderland.
.. And, of course, plowing of the lowland roads begins with a vengeance.

A GANG OF ELK

.. As soon as all the roads are clear enough for bicycle, (and administrative,) travel, the neighbors begin their pilgrimages into the accessable parts of the west side of the park. By foot, by ski, by skateboard, by roller blade, and by bicycle the neighbors and nearby residents enter the park. Right past the vehicle barriers, down the roads and into the park for free. It's a local thing and it brings out the best in folks.
.. They visit with each other about the soon-to-be summer chaos. There will be freezing rain, (going on right now,) there will be snow, there will be ice and mud and mating coyotes and flocking ravens and elk sunning themselves. There will soon be babies. Young of the year is an anticipated event in this part of the world. All these actualities and eventualities come to the fore about now.

GAS UP & CLEAN THE STREETS

.. Although the conventional calendar is mindless of our local happenings, we call it Spring. The specific definition of the exact timing of  "Spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and customs - certainly! Ours is an event based definition. It's a time of quietude. Rebirth and rejuvination are still far in the future. Up here it's when the hoards have thinned and we have the place to ourselves. It's a short respit from the chaos of destination travelers. There are no tulips: not a daisy will be found. The grass will be brown and matted, and frequently covered with fresh snow. But it is Spring and it is getting close.
.. Elk antler shedding, snow pack status, fishing prospects, picnic plans, day trips, camping, and other topics fly through the air. At the Post Office, in convinience stores, in the hardware store, in the aisles of the grocery stores it's Spring - despite the sleet and snow beating against the windows and doors. We now have time to cater to each other's concerns rather than strangers with urgent, (or - more often less than urgent,) needs.
.. Spring is when the neighbors gather and enjoy each other and the wonderful place in which we live. It has very little to do with the calendar or the weather. We call it Spring nevertheless.
.. AND THEN THE PARK OPENS - they call that Spring.

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THE INANITION OF SPRING ROADS IN YELLOWSTONE - A TRUE MARVEL