They're Back

There are certain sounds that I anxiously wait to hear all winter long, because to me these sounds signal that warm weather is just around the corner. The first is the birds singing in the morning. All through the dark morning hours of winter I listen for the firsts sounds of spring--the return of the robins and their morning songs. I get so excited when I head out in the morning and I can hear the birds singing. Unfortunately, the robins are a little overzealous in their return and sometimes they get caught in late winter snow. I always feel so bad for the little birds when that happens. But in spite of the snow, the birds sing away, almost as if they, too, are begging the sun to come out and warm the earth. The next sound I listen for is the familar "on your left" shouted by bicyclists and faster runners. This yell signals that the trails that have been almost empty are now starting to fill. Now for some, this announcement is frustrating because they know that they will now have to share the trails. But I find it yet another sign that warmer weather is coming. But the sound that I enjoy the most, and wait for the longest before its return, is the chorus of ribbitting that emanates from the pond behind my house. I wait and wait all winter for this glorious sound. The frog choir with its cacophany of croaking is such a delight that I will often sleep with the window cracked just so I can hear them. Unlike the birds and the cyclists, the frogs seem to have a 6th sense about when the warm weather will be here to stay for awhile. I trust the frogs and that I why I get so excited when I hear them. Last night, the frogs were back and I slept with the window cracked open.