Geese! And what we can learn from them

We saw the first big flocks moving over earlier this week, and they were really active yesterday.

I have been in deep with the projects I'm working on lately -- encouraging a local food economy, revitalizing rural communities -- and I've been watching all the drama on health care reform, so it's perhaps not odd that as I watched the geese, I realized they have a lot to teach us about how to get big things done. They, after all, travel thousands of miles from their southern wintering grounds to their northern nests each spring -- and then fly back the same thousands of miles in the fall.

Here are a few lessons from the honkers:

1. Don't be afraid to start moving toward a goal that you cannot yet see, that in fact seems impossible from where you stand. Keep moving toward the goal, and soon enough the impossible can be accomplished (even twice a year).
2. When the goal is a formidable one, find strength in numbers. And don't just look for your expected allies -- if someone is traveling in the same direction, even if they are not a bird of your feather, you will both do better if you travel together.
3. One voice in the wilderness may sound lonely, but if it's persuasive, soon enough others will join in, and pretty soon you'll be making a racket that can't be ignored.
4. Take the lead of your group when you are called to do so -- but also know when it's time to fly back to the tail end of the V and recharge for a while. If the leader is tired, the whole group will move more slowly.
5. Focus on the end goal, yes -- but don't be so focused that you don't appreciate the journey. If the sun is shining and the breeze is just right, don't be afraid to take a little time to circle and soar.
   

And, on a lighter note, here's a little video of our bird-watching expedition on Thursday. The kids were trying really hard to be quiet, so I could record how loud the birds are, but that's not all that easy to do, apparently!

Note to self: Do not leave raisins on table unguarded.

March: Yes, spring begins, but it's also our snowiest month

Let's start with the depressing facts: We may have spotted that "Spring begins" message when we flipped the calendar to March, but there's no pretending it's time for tulips quite yet. The photo above was taken last Sunday night, on the road we normally do not take to get off the farm. And Dave had plowed this way not too long before -- but we'd had a bit of wind, and the ditches are so full that any wind at all can close the road. (Though we could still get the truck through that with little problem, Dave pointed out.)

Dave had to clear out his path to the woodshed again -- it's a narrow lane through that drift, but it's enough!


But we can go on to more positive topics. It's been warm enough and not windy enough to make skiing enjoyable -- Dave and my mom have both taken their skis out for a spin. And I went for a walk the other evening that was quite pleasant, and I didn't even wear my long underwear! (That's how we really mark that spring is coming -- when you can leave your long underwear on the hook.)


And we also had a grand time with Nama here for the week! (Don was here for the weekends but drove home to put in his working hours in St. Paul in between. Thankfully, driving was not stressful this time!) The drifts behind the house became the scene for the Olympics (at which both Sofi and Nama won gold medals) and some impressive princess tales. Erik discovered the wonders of sliding down the side of a drift, and Nama discovered how much of a workout it is to lift a cute little 30-pound weight over and over!


They also dug an impressive tunnel, with Don doing some hard-labor digging to hollow it out. (That snow was packed!) At least for now, it seems structurally sound.

... Though that might not last long! There's been a breath of spring in the air the past few days -- the gravel started to peak through our all-white roads on Thursday, and now we can drive over several patches of brown on the way home. Yes, mud season has begun! We are debating if we want to continue driving around the loop in front of our house, which would kill the grass but also leave some dirt ruts, or just park farther away until the ground dries out.

The newspapers are full of people talking about flooding concerns. Our area should be OK if we get a steady, slow melt. We're going to be watching those big drifts to the north of the house -- they might act as a dam to keep the runoff from the yard from reaching the pond, which could mean we need a moat to get in the house again. We can dig a channel, if need be -- we'll just have to keep an eye on it.

We may have a new photo blogger! Don and Mary got Sofi a new camera, and she is sure enjoying it. She wants to have it out all the time, but we have to monitor its use -- while Sofi is quite careful with her things, Erik is not. I haven't downloaded Sofi's photos (or videos!) yet, but when I do I'll post some of the good ones. (The ones of me in my pajamas groggily drinking coffee will not be uploaded.) Above, Sofi is documenting the seeds that she and Erik and Daddy started tonight -- tomatoes, peppers and more. It may be a little early, but I'm all for gardening optimism!