I’d been complaining about the late spring this year. No marsh marigolds, No loons. And where were the peepers? Especially “peepers.” But like a good northerner, I accepted the cold, unfriendly spring season and settled back to wait for better times.
However, one evening, I reached my breaking point. I settled in to watch the local news, relishing the peace that comes at the end of a busy day. Dinner simmered in the oven. I relaxed in my comfortable chair and listened to the Duluth news and weather. Suddenly a very distinct sound caught my attention.
“Peepers. I hear peepers!” I informed my husband, who gave me a strange look.
The sound was there again. Peepers were singing in heartwarming peeps. “I mean it!” I said. “I hear peepers.” But where were they? Clearly, not in my house.
My eyes settled on the television screen where Channel 3 weatherman, Dave Anderson, was giving the forecast. He was televising from his deck with his backyard behind him. Somewhere in his neighborhood, peepers were singing. “Look! I screeched. “He’s got peepers. Why has he got them and we don’t?”
It took a while to accept the fact, but once I calmed down and realized Dave Anderson lives south, possibly as far as Duluth, a hundred miles or more, I felt slightly better. If nothing else, I could hear peepers by tuning in the evening weather.
Since then, Mother Nature has finally moved forward into spring. Several nights ago, I stepped outside at sunset and heard my own neighborhood peeper choir going full blast.
A number of northland spring harbingers have sprung forth in the past few days as if making up for lost time. I spotted cheerful yellow marsh marigolds alongside County Road 8.
A brief evening rain shower passed, bringing with it the summery rumble of thunder.
Two loons appeared in front of my house, diving and floating but making no sounds. I was a bit disappointed. Spring never really arrives, at least in my mind, until I’ve heard the loons calling.
However, last night, several loons called, the lovely sounds wafted into my open window, and I fell asleep, secure in the knowledge that spring had finally arrived.
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