Monday, 4/9

At least it was a sign of spring. And these days, I’ll take what I can get.

Once again, I wasn't gonna talk about the weather, but those of you who are in the U.P. know that we’ve had, well, quite the weather week. We’ve had snow. We’ve had cold. We’ve had ice pellets. We’ve had wind. We’ve had just about an entire year’s worth of winter weather compressed into one six (so far) day period. And I feel confident in saying that most of us are starting to get sick of it, and are looking for a sign--any sign--that spring may soon be returning.

Well, I think I had one of those signs while cleaning Loraine's windshield after running Saturday morning. And while it may not have been the most traditional sign that spring is inexorably on the way, I’m cool with that. You see, as I wiping Loraine's windshield clean I noticed something on it. It wasn’t on the windshield earlier (at least I don't think), so I knew it had just happened, and I knew it was a sign spring may be lurking about, no matter what the forecast has to say--

There was a big splattering of bird poop on Loraine's windshield.

Now normally one might look at a big splattering of bird poop on a windshield as an inconvenience, because we know we have to clean it off. We may also look at a big splattering of bird poop as a personal affront, especially when said splattering happens to appear, say, right after we’ve finished washing our car. But this particular big splattering of bird poop may have been the most welcome big splattering of bird poop in recorded history, if only because it means that there are actually birds around to leave the big splattering of poop. And since birds only start to return to the U.P. when spring is (supposedly) here...

Well, let them splatter the car as much as they want.

I know that in a couple of weeks or a couple of months I won’t feel the same way about seeing a big splattering of bird poop on Loraine's windshield, but for now I look upon it as a sign. A very good sign, in fact, that despite the snow and cold and wind and ice of the past few weeks there is hope. There’s hope that Spring, with its warmer temperatures and green grass and lilac blooms, will show up, no matter what it looks like outside now. And how do I know that?

I saw the big splattering of bird poop on my windshield. That’s how I know.

(jim@wmqt.com)