Gnome and spring wildflowers in April 2020

Just in case you’re wondering, April in Minneapolis doesn’t usually look like this spring looks like!

Early April in Minneapolis

I decided to look at photos I made in early April in 2020 and 2021. Though we did get a snowstorm in  mid April 2020, the ice was completely out of the pond by April 1 that year and wild flowers were in bloom right at the beginning of April.

“April is the cruelest month, breeding
lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
memory and desire, stirring
dull roots with spring rain.”
T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land

I made this photo of a wood duck in the pond on April 1, 2020…

Male wood duck with wings outstretched

This year, most of the pond behind the house is still covered with ice on April 3.

Last year the early wildflowers were already in bloom at this time. This year I could barely see any signs of wildflower plants emerging yet.

Spring wildflowers

I’m looking out my window right now and watching big snowflakes fall. The good news is that they don’t seem to be accumulating on the ground. Not only does this year feel like a late spring, it’s definitely later than the past few years.

However late it is, there is a lot happening that we cannot see. Soon. Soon.

Spring Fever

I went to a bike store today to look at new bikes. And I found one that I really like. Now I am taking the time to step back and think about whether I think I really will use a new bike frequently if I get one. It’s a tough decision. There’s the kid part of me that says, “Yes! Yes! I’ll ride every day,” and then there’s the adult part of me who is thinking about how I’ve not felt well a lot in the past month. I’ll take a couple more days to think about it and then make a decision. The guy at the bike store told us that within a couple of weeks most of the bikes of the model and size I want will probably be sold. And because of supply chain issues they won’t be able to get more until mid-summer.

“The snow has not yet left the earth, but spring is already asking to enter your heart. If you have ever recovered from a serious illness, you will be familiar with the blessed state when you are in a delicious state of anticipation, and are liable to smile without any obvious reason. Evidently that is what nature is experiencing just now. The ground is cold, mud and snow squelches under foot, but how cheerful, gentle and inviting everything is! The air is so clear and transparent that if you were to climb to the top of the pigeon loft or the bell tower, you feel you might actually see the whole universe from end to end. The sun is shining brightly, and its playful, beaming rays are bathing in the puddles along with the sparrows. The river is swelling and darkening; it has already woken up and very soon will begin to roar. The trees are bare, but they are already living and breathing.”
Anton Chekhov, The Exclamation Mark

Here’s hoping that this week brings a bit of warmer weather. I’d like to have a nice stretch of spring before summer suddenly arrives.

May you walk in beauty.

Gnome and mallard ducks by a stream

Wood duck pair at edge of pond during mid-April snowstorm 2020

Scilla and other early spring wildflowers, April 2021


Marilyn

Photographer sharing beauty, grace & joy in photographs and blog posts. I live in the Twin Cites in Minnesota, the land of lakes, trees, and wonderful nature.

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