Sprinter

Today I was reading the local newspaper and there was an article about sprinter. The time between winter and spring, or maybe those late winter days that feel like spring. I guess I didn't really read the article, but sprinter means a lot to me.

Today I saw about 25 turkey vultures, circling slowly above the trees. A sure sign of sprinter. As was the robin I saw yesterday and the shoots of bulbs I see in peoples' yards. The shoots are only about three inches tall, but they are there.

This is why I like living in a place with distinct seasons, watching them change is one of the best things about it. Sprinter, of course, is particularly exciting, the new plant growth, the return of the animals, the melting of the snow.

Sometimes in the height of spring things just seem a little gaudy, after sprinter's restraint. The flowers are so day glow bright, the lawn seems dyed green, everything is almost obscenely fecund and bursting.

Sprinter, on the other hand, has a beautiful spareness about it. The garden is the cleanest it will be all year, the plants are whispering their arrival.

I think it is one of my favorite times of the year.

The photo above was taken on April 6, 2006. Right at the end of sprinter.