And so wondrous March—the shortest month of the year—comes to end. Hello Spring. Goodbye Winter. Hello. Goodbye. With its cold rain and dwindling snow, its cleansing winds, its powerful light and the rising of an energy that will soon explode into the orchard, March sprints by as it does every year. How can a month go by so fast? If only March was three weeks longer. Too late to stop it. It’s time to say, “Go, go, go!”

The rain did come last night and lasted into the morning. By noon, however, it was gone. It was ice-out on the pond in the center of the BRC Orchard. The first bulbs are emerging from beneath the apple trees. We planted them there to stand guard and fend off the voles. No damage noticed yet this spring. It appears they’ve done their job for another winter.

A little sun in the afternoon. I went to Hallowell to commiserate with six trees—4 apples and 2 pears—that will be cut down in two weeks to make way for a new college dorm. There’s apparently some logic there though I can’t find it at the moment. I took scionwood from one of the apples and one of the pears in order to graft new trees. The other trees will remain in the memories of those who joined me there this afternoon. Hello. Goodbye.