Spring Arrives with Snow!

Winter's hold on us continues with a snowy Easter weekend. A brief thaw gave us hope in mid-March for warmer days, melting our earlier snows to nearly nothing. At least 10 inches have fallen since last Friday, but with temps flirting above 32 degrees, it melts quickly.

At Richardson Nature Center, the maple syrup season is getting a late start, but if the temperatures go above freezing this week through next weekend, we may have some good days for demonstrating the maple syrup process to visitors. During the first weekend of March, we demo'ed how to tap the trees and hang the buckets, but it was too cold for the sap to flow. And we had water boiling in the evaporator. A little disappointing for the guests, but we should have a better demonstration next weekend, if spring would finally arrive.

Winter reading continues while the weather provides incentive to stay inside. I highly recommend this book: Babylon's Ark by Lawrence Anthony. Anthony staged the rescue of the Baghdad Zoo while war was raging throughout the city in 2003. His story is one of courage, leadership, hope, and compassion. He set out to achieve a near miracle despite dire conditions and extreme danger. His vision for the zoo and single-minded determination help him and all who work on the project toward their eventual success. The animals he and his team save are symbols of strong will and the power of positive thinking. It is a very inspiring story with mostly happy endings.

Last Gasp of Winter

The sound of melting snow and glisten of ice puddles are welcome signs of winter's end. The plot in Wisconsin slowly transforms into spring. Not a bird or deer in sight this weekend, and only a couple of new animal tracks in the snow by the house. A few snowmobilers took advantage of the snow cover and warmer weather, though. Within a few weeks the ground will be very wet and our outings to the beaver den will need to wait again until next winter.

This weekend we were glued to the radio for news of the state of emergency declared in Armenia following their Presidential elections. Allegations of election fraud and lack of legitimacy of the winning candidate brought 15,000 people into the capital Yerevan for demonstrations and protests, leading to a police action, imprisonment, and unfortunately, some deaths of demonstrators.

In contrast, our own Presidential campaigns continue as we anticipate outcomes of the prolonged race between Democratic primary contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. In our city, the Republican National Convention this September is scheduled during the same week as our State Fair. Elected officials and local police are already planning for crowd control and limiting demonstrations to a specific part of the city.