According to my calendar, the first day of spring in this year 2024 will be March 19.
Based on what I have been seeing though, spring is already here, having arrived before March 1 in southern Minnesota:
Chickadees, nuthatches, small and large woodpeckers, red-headed woodpeckers, ducks, geese, swans, hawks, owls, juncos (snow birds), mudhens, eagles nesting, red-winged blackbirds, other blackbirds, robins, and bald-headed Norwegians not wearing long johns gathering night crawlers for open water fishing.
Other interesting signs I've seen that told me an early spring was here:
A. No fishing contest at Beaver Lake or St. Olaf Lake this February.
B. No cars or trucks on Beaver Lake or St. Olaf Lake this winter.
C. People using their winter ice fishing license while fishing out in a boat on open water on February 29. (It was the last legal day of ice fishing.)
D. Trees budding and tulip leaves above ground before March 1.
E. Snow on ground or in snow banks a rarity before March 1.
Are you ready for this Sunday, March 17, 2024? As of this Sunday there are two kinds of people in Southern Minnesota, those who are of Irish ancestry and those who wish they were!!
The following is from the women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America as given to this Norwegian-Irish man by my German-Dane spouse, Genie.
*Thanks to Nancy Giddings and her “Top o' the morning to you.”*
“Love Saint Patrick's Day for a variety of reasons. First, it's the day when everyone – including Americans with deep Norwegian roots – celebrates this Irish saint.
St. Patrick's Day – the Feast of Saint Patrick – is a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick.
Love everything on this day that is green: clothes, hair, beer, even the Chicago River!! The green is a welcome change and gets us ready for spring.
You've heard that St. Patrick used the shamrock to illustrate the story of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the summer when you bend down to pick a three-leaf clover, think about God's love for us.
So, top of the morning to you, and happy St. Patrick's Day. Do spend some time thinking about Saint Patrick's shamrock illustration, The Trinity.
Per the old Farmer's Almanac: “Why should you never iron a four-leaf clover?” Answer “You don't want to press your luck!!”
All of you readers of Norwegian ancestry, remember your day is just around the corner, like May 17.
For those readers of an ancestry not mentioned in this column, “Could it be your day of recognition is April 1??” Remember that is your day to play a practical joke on those not of your ancestry per “Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.”
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in New York. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.