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BS: You know that it's Spring when...
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Subject: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Azizi Date: 20 Mar 06 - 11:47 AM March 20th marks the Vernal Equinox which means that spring is officially here. So happy Vernal Equinox to you and yours! But though it's officially spring, it still feels like winter out there to me. As far as I'm concerned, it's not spring until it gets much warmer than it is now. When do you know that it is spring? And do you do anything to commemorate Spring's coming? |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Azizi Date: 20 Mar 06 - 11:51 AM Here's a link if you are interested in reading about the origin and meaning of The Vernal Equinox And here's an excerpt from that website: "To the elders of the Olde Way, these times, equinoxes, were markers in which seeds would be planted and then harvested. The first of these, the Spring or Vernal Equinox occurs on or about March 21st. The ancient goddess, Eostre, a Saxon deity who marked not only the passage of time but also symbolized new life and fertility, was the key symbol of this celebration which was also known as Ostara. Legend has it that the goddess was saved by a bird whose wings had become frozen by the cold of winter. This process turned the bird into a hare. Yet this was no ordinary cottontail; this long-eared rabbit could also lay eggs! The main symbols for Easter are the egg, for new life or beginnings, and the rabbit/hare, for fertility". |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: John MacKenzie Date: 20 Mar 06 - 11:53 AM Spring to me is catkins and primroses, and the fist green leaves starting to show. There are a few hazel catkins around and my Garrya Elliptica tassels have been out for ages, but the other signs are a way off yet. Even if the drakes are busy trying to drown the ducks in a frenzy of sexual excitement across the way in the loch, and the crows are carrying long twigs overhead on their way to nest renovations, spring is not really here yet, another 3/4 weeks yet I should think. Giok |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Gervase Date: 20 Mar 06 - 12:00 PM I dunno about the "Olde" Way, but round here (in Wales) it's still a sign for planting. My Arran Pilots and Sharpe's Express are going in the ground this week. And we've just started lambing, so there's the new life! |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: MMario Date: 20 Mar 06 - 12:05 PM yup, Giok; Spring is thinking about coming - but it's got a long way to travel I 'spect. Surprised the ducks stay with the drakes, way them drakes treat 'em. But the swans are migrating- so spring can't be too far off. this year I've seen flocks of snow geese and swans - usually only see Canada geese and the occasional flock of ducks. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Beer Date: 20 Mar 06 - 12:22 PM Dog shit all over the lawn. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Azizi Date: 20 Mar 06 - 12:40 PM Speaking of doo doo... That excerpt that I linked to earlier which mentioned the egg being a symbol of life reminded me of the Egyptian symbol of the scarab beetle. Here's some information about that symbol: "Containing the very power of eternal life, the Beetle's regenerative energies are closely associated with life renewal. The habit the Beetle has of rolling a ball of dung as a future source of nourishment for its babies, is an ancient symbol of the World Egg, from which all life and manifestation arose. It is thus regarded as being self-generated. Perfection out of what seems imperfect. A symbol of resurrection, the Beetle is the most varied of all insects, as many as 280,000 different variations. To put this in perspective, the number of vertebrate animals - including fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals, is around 44,000. In Egypt, the Scarab Beetle has great significance. Taking a piece of ox dung, it would roll it along a horizontal path from east to west and gradually shape the dung into a ball. Eggs are laid within and then buried in the ground for about a month. After this time, the Beetle would dig up the ball and push it into the water and its young would emerge. Because of its east to west rolling, it became associated with the Sun and its movement across the sky. The Scarab thus came to be a symbol for solar deities and for new life. As with many insects, the Beetle goes through a tremendous metamorphosis from the grub stage to the winged. Because of this, it is associated with resurrection and change, much as the butterfly is as well. In its winged stage, the front set of wings are thickened into hard covers which fold and protect the soft underside; the back, larger wings spread out as that of a Hawk". Source: http://www.katiestanley.com/resources/dd/b.htm |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Geoff the Duck Date: 20 Mar 06 - 12:43 PM I know it's Spring when its my dad's birthday 21st March Quack! GtD. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: bobad Date: 20 Mar 06 - 12:49 PM Hey Beer, with the weather we've been having you can get out in the yard with a golf club and practice your swing with the frozen turds. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: John MacKenzie Date: 20 Mar 06 - 12:52 PM Nice to hear of someone planting Arran Pilot one of my favourite early potatos. Can you still get Arran Banner, that's another nice one? Give yourself a treat and plant some Kerr's Pink, they make superb chips, and roast potatos. Bugger I'm on diet, I shouldn't even be thinking about things like that! Giok |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Trevor Date: 20 Mar 06 - 12:57 PM The daffs on the way in to Shrewsbury aren't flowering yet - they're already late but we've just got the first lambs up here on the Stiperstones so spring can't be far off. I'll really know, though, when I see the first squashed hedgehog. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: leftydee Date: 20 Mar 06 - 02:04 PM When I realise that, once again, I haven't tied enough flies and trout season is right around the corner. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: ranger1 Date: 20 Mar 06 - 02:16 PM I start back to work at the park and the osprey return. My birthday helps herald it in, too, being the same day as Geoff the Duck's dad's birthday. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: John MacKenzie Date: 20 Mar 06 - 02:25 PM Sneaky Tami, I like it too! HB 4 2 morrow. Giok |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Bill D Date: 20 Mar 06 - 02:33 PM "When a young man's fancy turns the thoughts of ...what she has been contemplating all Winter" |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: GUEST,Nogbad the bad Date: 20 Mar 06 - 02:36 PM What, the smell of his feet? |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: JohnInKansas Date: 20 Mar 06 - 02:38 PM Just coming out of about 2 weeks of 60 F (16 C) sunny afternoons, the noon temp has dropped to about 34 F and is expected to remain below 30 F (~0 C) for at least the remainder of the week. Our predicted 2 to 5 inches of local snow should begin in about 2 hours, and main Interstate highways a bit north and through most of the western half of the state are expected to be shut down by mid afternoon, with 12 to 15 inches of snow drifting in 30 - 40 mph winds. At least it may slow down the drought-driven grass fires that have eaten about 100,000 acres in the nearby region in the past couple of weeks. This is spring?????? LiK noted the equinox about an hour ago, and allowed that she might cavort later but refuses to gambol in this weather. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: MMario Date: 20 Mar 06 - 02:43 PM and just what differentiates cavorting from gamboling? |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Beer Date: 20 Mar 06 - 02:48 PM Hay Bobad! Thanks for the idea with the turds. How about you and I going up to visit Leftydee and get some ot them "Red Wing Trout"? |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Sorcha Date: 20 Mar 06 - 03:13 PM 20" of snow and still falling.... |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Bill D Date: 20 Mar 06 - 03:16 PM so, John...snow and cold are the latest punishments for your sins? *big grin*.... |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Kaleea Date: 20 Mar 06 - 03:28 PM Azizi, Sounds naughty--you evidently "know" Vern & his Spring frolics better than I do! |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: open mike Date: 20 Mar 06 - 03:52 PM a flock of robins was seen passing thru watching them cock their kheads to hear the worms then dive on them and pull and pull this and their chirping are hopeful harbingers that winter is drawing to a close. thanks for the Scarab info...my friends and I have formed a Dung Beetle Clan and we cherish any and all references to our totem critter! also Ukranian Easter Eggs are a cultural tradition that is one of the ways af assuring that the seasons continue to revolve and evolve... here is some info and some designs and symbols http://www.learnpysanky.com/ http://www.scissorcraft.com |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: SunnySister Date: 20 Mar 06 - 03:56 PM Hi Azizi! I love your thread! I know it's spring when I see bearded iris, my favorite flower, start to bloom. When I see my first bearded iris of the year, I feel like dancing and celebrating. Someday I hope to have my own home with a garden where I will plant a huge amount of bearded iris. Their blooming will then signal that it will be time to send out invitations to my spring party. I don't have parties now, but when there's a house and a garden, I'll have a big one and invite lots of musicians! It's a nice thing to dream about on a rainy day like today here in San Francisco. Best to you-- SunnySister |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: MMario Date: 20 Mar 06 - 04:03 PM hmmmm, I think of bearded iris as being a LATE spring flower... but that may just be our particular micro-climate. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: nutty Date: 20 Mar 06 - 04:28 PM When your foot treads with tender fear On seven white heads then spring is here The Daisy Song by Dorothy Una Radcliffe An old Yorkshire Dales saying about the coming of Spring. Not a daisy in sight so far this year. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: artbrooks Date: 20 Mar 06 - 04:40 PM I know its finally spring when a late frost comes through and freezes all of the blossoms off of my apple and cherry trees. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Azizi Date: 20 Mar 06 - 04:54 PM Kaleea: "If you knew Vernon, like I knew Vernon, Oh! Oh! what a guy!" [Actually, I don't believe in sharing that kind of wealth]. Butt, come to think of it, that's a GREAT way to commemorate the beginning of spring, and summer, and autumn, and winter! LOL!!!! |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: open mike Date: 20 Mar 06 - 06:10 PM i thought the seven heads were snowwhite's dwarves.. i remember hearing one little old lady say "You're as welcome as a daisy in June" in the woods here one of the first spring bloomers is the shooting star http://www.painetworks.com/previewsrf/hw/hw1339.html http://www.easywildflowers.com/quality/dod.mead.jpg http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/shootingstar.html http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/inhsreports/may-jun96/flowers.html http://www.ventanawild.org/news/se02/shooting.html i believe they are the wild cousins of the Cyclamen which are also in the Primrose or Primula family.. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Sorcha Date: 20 Mar 06 - 06:50 PM Here, SE Wyoming, bearded Iris are an early summer flower....not even breaking ground yet....Damn snow. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Bobert Date: 20 Mar 06 - 07:32 PM Well, spring, to me, is when it stops snowing and hard freezin' at night... Guess it ain't here yet in this holler on the Blue Ridge 'cause they callin' fir snow tonight and tomorrow.... Yeah, it might not be like poor Sorcha's 20 inches but, hey, if it's still carryin' on like that, firget thinkin' spring is here... Maybe next week??? |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: MaineDog Date: 20 Mar 06 - 08:38 PM -- when the Dog comes back from swimming covered with mud instead of ice! MD |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: JohnInKansas Date: 21 Mar 06 - 08:06 PM Well LiK's little cavort apparently pleased the Goddess. Or maybe it's because Lin decided to cook last night and She thought it was a burnt offering... The snow that was forcast pretty much bypassed us, although they got the expected foot 50 miles north of us. The main Interstate highway (I-70) east/west across the northern part of the state has been pretty much shut down, but no reports of accidents of strandings. We got enough cold drizzle to help with the fire hazard, but it's not certain whether it was enough to allow the farm folk to do their spring controlled burns of pasture. The local prediction for tonight is for 20 F ( -7 C) lows, which will kill all the blossoms that were begining to bust out from the preceding warm spell, and will probably make any fruit crops in the area nonexistent for the year. If it gets as low as predicted there won't be many "spring flowers" later this year, although our daffys already had just about finished their show anyway. The sure sign of spring is that our main heating unit decided to cease working sometime last night. A week or two later and I could have played around at fixing it all summer; but fortunately it was a small part and it's back in order for the last week or so of cold weather. (Unless it snows again in April - or May.) John |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Kweku Date: 22 Mar 06 - 05:42 AM In Ghana,we have only two seasons and this is common to most parts of Africa. The seasons are the harmattan(dry) season and the rainy(wet) season. the dry season is usually from April to September and the wet season occupies the rest. But African weather always behave in a way very akin to the name "weather".eg. we didnot have any dry season for the year2005/2006,it virtually rained throughout the year. Typically what we do is wake up in the morning and judging from the prevailing temperatures you will be able to tell if it will rain or not. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Kweku Date: 22 Mar 06 - 05:54 AM BTW,Ghana will be experiencing eclipse of the sun on the 29th of march. so for those of you who have never experienced this eclipse,you can either watch it on CNN or live it(and of course CNN will do it nicely by reminding you that it is a horrible continent, unfit for humans to live in). This eclipse interestingly will cover the West coast of Africa,areas where the salve markets were located or traded heavily in slaves will experience total eclipse,whiles the rest will experience partial eclipse. The eclipse will start from the west coast of Africa and end up in the carribeans(the last destination for the slaves).And come to think of it the year 2006 is 1999 in the African traditional calendar. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Azizi Date: 22 Mar 06 - 10:36 AM Thread Drift {somewhat} Quarcoo, thanks for that information about the seasons in your country and about the total eclipse. I'm curious what meaning you give to this total eclipse. Is it something that others there are commenting on {for instance, is the television or radio media talking about the symbolism of the eclipse to chattel slavery that occurred in the 18th, 19th century?} |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Kweku Date: 22 Mar 06 - 10:54 AM no this is analysis was done by a group looking out for signs using the sun,moon and the stars. because "what has been hidden from the wise and the prudent shall be revealed to the young and the sucklings". i happened to be part of this group. that is for those of us who do believe in creation and in God. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Wilfried Schaum Date: 22 Mar 06 - 11:19 AM The official spring marker is the apple blossom. Then spring has come in force. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Emma B Date: 22 Mar 06 - 11:48 AM Standing at the bedroom window with the first hint of warm late afternoon sunlight I can watch a train of gulls, still in their winter plumage, following the wake of a tractor and plough turning over the rich brown unfrozen soil. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Azizi Date: 22 Mar 06 - 12:45 PM Emma B, my compliments on your imagery. If you're not a published writer, you should be one. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: kendall Date: 22 Mar 06 - 02:37 PM Sure sign of spring, a skunk. Dead or alive. We saw one today, poor thing survived the winter, but apparently tried to best a car with his scent gland. Talk about bringing a knife to a gun fight! |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Alba Date: 22 Mar 06 - 02:45 PM **BG** Kendall. Ah how I have missed that pungent aroma lurking at my backdoor when I open it for my Maine Shelta Hound at midnight or there abouts.(not) I have seen my first Robin yesterday but no Skunks, dead or alive.........................................yet! Jude |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Kweku Date: 23 Mar 06 - 11:38 AM everybody loves spring. whats so special about it? |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Azizi Date: 23 Mar 06 - 12:01 PM Quarcoo, I like spring because in my geographical area it means the end of the cold winter weather. During the spring the weather is warm but not too hot like it is in the summertime. The flowers bloom and leaves appear again on certain trees. For this reason spring has become a symbol of new life, and new beginnings. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: MMario Date: 23 Mar 06 - 12:06 PM Well - in my neck of the woods you go from cold (sometimes VERY cold) wet and snowy, or wet and muddy, or wet and flooded, or just plain cold cold cold; with short days, mostly overcast, and cold. Did I mention cold? then in the spring you get shirtsleeve temperatures, it starts to dry out, you see the sun at least sometimes, the days are longer, it's warm, birds return from migration, farm animals in the fields have their young gamboling (or possibly froliking) with them, it is no longer cold enough to freeze the brass off a monkey, and did I mention it warms up? |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: GUEST Date: 23 Mar 06 - 12:11 PM open mike - I've never seen a flock of robins. They normally go about in pairs and are territorial so any robins other than the brood they are rearing will be seen off. Maybe there is another bird with different habits where you are, also called a 'robin'? Quarcoo and azizi - If this year's eclipse symbolises slavery, what did the eclipse in 1999 symbolise, and any of the other eclipses at different times and over different parts of the world over the years? I reckon any eclipse could be hijacked for whatever political point anyone wanted to make. I know it is spring because my pond is now full of frogspawn. Topsie |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: MMario Date: 23 Mar 06 - 12:21 PM topsie - if you live in a migration flyway you see robins in flocks. at least the American version - in the breeding grounds you don't. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Jeri Date: 23 Mar 06 - 01:45 PM Topsie, I believe British robins are different from the American Robin. Personally, I think calling them "Turdus migratorius" is just rude. They seem like the Labarador Retriever of the bird world to me. They're not terribly pretty. They're sort of big and goofy, and seem to like people. One year, one would watch me from a tree or a spot on the ground 10 or so feet away while I was gardening. When I walked away for a while, it flew to where I'd been working and ate the unearthed grubs and worms. There's one that nests in the ornamental 4' high cedar 'bush' next to my porch. There's another that nests in a shed every year and just builds nests upon nests. So far, I think it's a triple decker, and I wonder if I should remove it so it doesn't hit the roof this year. Robins mean Spring to me, but so do leaf buds and longer days, the sound of peepers, snow drops, crocus, and the greening-up of the creeping thyme in my front yard which came from the grave of F.J. Child. There also will be dandelions and fiddlehead ferns and the smell of dirt. Righ now, it's time to begin the catch-and-release of ladybugs (ladybirds) that have spent the winter indoors. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: ranger1 Date: 23 Mar 06 - 01:49 PM Found two small coltfoot blossoms on the beach on Tuesday. |
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Subject: RE: BS: You know that it's Spring when... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 23 Mar 06 - 03:47 PM I know it's spring when I start pining for bluebells and the sun on my face. LTS |
