Is it Spring yet?

The dark clouds break and a strange new light appears upon the land...

The calendar is announcing the start of a new season. Today is the Spring Equinox, that balance point between the dark hours and the light ones, and a time to pause, reflect and re-balance ourselves. Most of us are not connected to the cycles of the earth except perhaps if we have a vegetable patch that we plant or a flower garden that we tend, in which case we now look forward to the preparation of the soil and the choosing of our plants. Taking stock of where we are in our personal life, and planning changes in our path is a healthy practice as life tends to often compel us in a direction and at a speed which does not leave room for reflection. 

This birch tree reminds me that just as the earth begins to shed its coat of snow and ice, so am I eager to shed the trappings of winter, the coats and boots, and those sneaky extra pounds resulting from winter's comfort foods. 

Spring generally approaches slowly; the temperatures will fluctuate, water levels will rise and fall, and we may yet see snow on the ground. If you walk a path in the morning, the prints in the mud from the previous day, will be frozen in place, yet by the afternoon, the sun will soften the mud and it will try and remove your boot from your foot. 

Most lawns are still wearing their winter coat of brown not even giving a nod to St. Patrick this past week. On the forest floor, the moss is brilliant by contrast and virtually all that is green as yet. 

Robins are the iconic harbinger of spring, but it is not true that all robins migrate. It is true that most migrate, with only a portion remaining in the north dependent on the availability of fruit to sustain them through the cold months. I think though, that it is safe to say that when robins start appearing on lawns and trees in your neighborhood, spring is close by. 

Other 'springy' things are going on right now. The deer are moving from their winter grounds to their summer ones, so can be seen in large groups around dusk.

Migration of other birds is beginning. Our area is a flight path for returning trumpeter swans. Some will stay in this area to nest, while others will continue on to nest in other places. 

That small flock landed in this cornfield possibly just to rest, and possibly to wait for others still in flight.

Male Red-winged blackbirds are just now arriving. They return in advance of the females in order to choose a nesting area and establish a territory. When the females arrive, the males will gather together their 'harem' of many females, and oversee all the nests established at their chosen 'address'. 

There are many birds for whom Southern Ontario is their nesting destination, but many others only stop for only a few days to recharge before continuing on. Today I was in Hamilton and saw this solitary male Ring-necked duck on a partially thawed pond. This golden-eyed diving duck has a distinctive ring on his bill, hence his name, ringed-neck?!? I don't expect he will stay on this pond for long, but he may return for a stop in the fall on his way south. 

As the ice recedes on other ponds, muskrats can be seen out in the sun looking for something fresh to eat and enjoying the freedom to swim in open water again.

The local population of Canada Geese is swelling with return of migrating flocks. You will find them in parks, on lawns...

and factory roofs. Before long they will be constructing nesting mounds near the river, hopefully after any chance of flooding is past.

I am so mindful of the privilege of living in a country which has four seasons. While there is beauty in each one, Spring brings a unique sense of hope, joy and renewal. The prospect of buds appearing on trees and bulbs sprouting energizes the soul and builds anticipation of hours spent in the enjoyment of this bounty. Perhaps then on this day of balance, it is good to reflect on whether my life is in a healthy state of balance, what steps might be needed to retain or regain that healthy place including how I want to spend myself and my time. 

"Music comes from an icicle as it melts, to live again as spring water"

Henry Williamson

Emerald Isle Ancestors

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Kilbennan_St._Benin%27s_Church_Window_St._Patrick_Detail_2010_09_16.jpg)

This is a day of long tradition, Irish tradition;  a day that that people enjoy celebrating whether they have Irish roots or not. 'Lá Fhéile Pádraig' is held on March 17th which is the traditional date of the death of St.Patrick, a patron saint of Ireland who apparently was taken to Ireland as a slave, escaped back to his family, but later returned as a missionary to convert the Irish to Christianity and free the country of snakes. It is an unusual story and it is not known whether the snakes were actual, or perhaps a religious metaphor for 'pagans'. St. Patrick is one of the three patron saints of Ireland and is buried in Down Cathedral in Downpatrick. 

(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Patrick%27s_grave_Downpatrick.jpg)

This celebration was documented to have been observed in New France by Irish soldiers serving in the British army in 1759. Montreal has had a St. Patrick's day parade since 1824, and Newfoundland will celebrate the occasion today, Sunday, and have a local holiday tomorrow. I am not sure whether there is the same component of religious remembrance now or if it is simply a celebration of all things green.

My sweetie Lynn O'Beaudoin 

For me, it is a reminder of an immigrant past. I have spent many hours climbing the branches of my family tree. My father's direct blood line leads back to my 3 times great grandfather who was born in Yorkshire, England, while my mother's maternal line draws from a Huguenot past. Dad always thought that there were Irish roots and that they came from his grandfather Thornton (my maiden name). I discovered that that said grandfather, Francis Leonard Thornton, had married Margaret Nixon, and her father, Hugh, was born in Ireland. So there is my Irish immigrant ancestor. 

 (Great grandfather Francis is on the right hand side behind his wife Maggie Nixon in this scan of a tiny tintype photograph found in the Nixon Bible)

In the tiny graveyard where Hugh and much of his family are buried, there are  stones for James and Ann Nixon, who, given the dates on the stones, the style of the stones and the proximity of the all these stones, leads me to believe that James and Ann would be my 3 times great grandparents. I have not seen any documents at this time to confirm this but I think that it is a safe assumption. 

(It can be noted that Ann was made of stern stuff because according to this gravestone inscription,she lived to the venerable age of 104 years!)

The only link to a place in Ireland that I have seen, is the gravestone of Hugh's older brother, George, which refers to him as a 'Native of Tyrone Co. Ireland'. This is only specific enough to place my roots in one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. 

The next thing that I know for sure, is that Hugh Nixon married Matilda King in 1830. This particular document was not especially helpful for a granddaughter looking for information almost 200 years later, and does not give parents names or places of birth like most later documents of this sort would provide. So while  it confirms a marriage and a date, it only tells me that sometime between when Hugh was born in 1802ish, and 1830, he arrived in Canada. 

(May 5th 1830   'Celebrated marriage by license, between High Nixonof the Township of Esquesing in the Gore District, Upper Canada, bachelor and Matilda King of Etobicoke, Home District, spinster.')

Most overseas travelers arrived in Quebec City and the transcripts of ship's lists this early mostly note a number of passengers and a point of origin. The St. Lawrence Seaway was many years in the future so coming up the river with its many rapids would have been as perilous as crossing the ocean. They did however end up safely in Halton County, Ontario, and established families and homes. This was prior to the potato famine and the later religious troubles, so it is unknown what prompted a journey that left everyone and everything that was loved and familiar, to come to an unknown place and future. Remarkable really, the courage it took to make a journey of this magnitude.

Hugh and Matilda's family deaths as recorded in the Nixon Bible. 

My great grandparents Francis Leonard Thornton and Maggie Nixon Thornton later in life at their home in Toronto.

So on this unique day, I remember Hugh Nixon, about whom I know so little but who is my genetic and ancestral connection to a land across the ocean. It is important to remember that most people who live on this continent do so because of immigrant ancestors, and that they brought with them beliefs and traditions which we now celebrate. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A change in the air...

There is a change in the air, and despite the remaining presence of snow and cold temperatures, there is definitely the scent of spring. I am hoping that the change of the external season will also bring a change in my internal season. Winter has been a long, grey time and I don't think I have been in hibernation exactly, but perhaps more like in a state of torpor. Hibernation and torpor are methods animals use to survive winter, with hibernation being like a deep, deep sleep and torpor being periods of sleep broken by periods of activity. So while outwardly continuing the activities of life, inwardly, I have been quiet, removed, needing of a great deal of solitude. This is the first time that I have written for a while but perhaps there are seasons for words also. 

I felt that the time of snow was ending so I had better enjoy its presence before it had gone completely. There are many wonderful things about these last snows when the season is on the cusp of a new fresh one. A pristine cover of snow in the bright sun is a thing of great beauty, but it also allows a glimpse into life in the forest become invisible once it is gone. Like...nature's artwork in the snow..

showcasing small things of beauty..

like a vine tendril..

or an beech leaf..

or a feather.

Or showing evidence of who has been present in the forest like..

a deer mouse with tiny feet and a dragging tail,

a hungry rabbit..

a meadow vole, whose subnivean (under the snow) tunnels become apparent as the layers of snow begin to melt,

or this intersection of prints which show that a deer mouse (diagonal), a deer (vertical), and a squirrel (horizontal tracks) have all been in the same area recently.

Ice is a winter companion also, dangerous underfoot but spectacularly beautiful in all its forms....

gravity-defying icicles.

ice baubles dangling over the creek,

patterns in frozen puddles and

 at the river's edge.

Not only is there a whiff of spring in the air, but the silence of winter in the forest is beginning to give way to the sounds of approaching springtime. The birds that remain here year-round are quieter in the winter. They call to each other to communicate where they are, or if there is food to be shared, or if there is danger close by. Now their repertoire expands to include mating calls and territorial warnings.

The male cardinal is heading up from the shrubbery to the treetops to sing for a mate and to establish his 'patch'. The chickadee's songbook will now include a distinctive two-note song as well as the well-known 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee', as he sings seeking companionship. The sparrows are starting to squabble and investigate the possibilities for nesting.

One of my favorite things is to watch the squirrels waking up and joining the mating game. Many are nesting right now, probably in a hole in a tree, but there is plenty of noisy chasing and chattering going on.

The grey squirrels and the black ones,(who are also grey even though they are black and often have red belly fur), are busy building a drey to nest in. (Not dray, as in cart, or dre as in Dr.) There is a hollow centre to these nests that is lined, warm and soft for babies. They seem to defy gravity and the effects of weather, so they must be well built. With the leaves still being absent, it is possible to see the squirrels doing parkour in the trees, as they pursue the activities for which the nest is prepared, ahem.  

The remaining snow highlights the changing colours.

The Red-osier dogwood's red bark is so bright and cheerful, 

while the youngest branches of the willows glow a soft and warm gold.

The moss seems more verdant as it is still the only thing around that is green. 

Even the sky seems a brighter blue as we welcome back the presence of the sun. Life will go on as before, but it just seems more hopeful and easier to bear when the sun is shining, and when we know that Spring is in the air.