Thinking Thawts

a view of the frozen Charles River

"petit pont" at Elm Bank

The last two days have been relatively balmy in Natick. I didn't get out for a walk yesterday but today I made up for it by bringing a new sketchbook with me to Elm Bank. The birds were singing and the buds looked appreciably larger on the maples. The icy snowbanks were dirtier than ever and seemed to be relinquishing their grip on all manner of trash and slowly revealing the pavement and, in places, something that looks like grass (I think forensics will be needed to sort out the state of the victim and the nature of the violent pummeling she received!). I walk with a swing in my stride then; Spring is in my step (even though I'm well aware that it's only mid-February!), until I leave the road and begin to trudge through the snow covered field over to the river to draw. I crunch through old compacted snow up to my knees.

So much for Spring --it's Winter from the knees down yet gloveless I draw on reveling in the sound of a freshet darkening the ice-bound river across the channel. I know we'll have more snow and nasty weather but there's a part of me that's recklessly willing to wager that maybe, we won't.  Ha!