THE PRAIRIE MELTDOWN

It's been a rocky start to spring - we've had two substantial blizzards since the official first day of spring and the weatherman says we might well get more rain or snow tomorrow - people around here are starting to think that this is never going to end. I swear I'm going to dig out my spring coat and just wear it in defiance! Maybe we can ignore winter away.

When the sun shines there is good strength to it - I was amazed tonight when I left my office at how much the snow banks had receded from the sidewalks since I had walked in this morning. And the puddles are definately growing, which is just a warning of what is to come. All around town today you could here pumps running trying to keep the water at bay. I saw on my way out of town that they seem to be winning at the elementary school yard - yesterday there was a lake, today there was a large-ish pool. I'm sure the kids were fine with the water theme park, but the teachers are probably relieved that it's gone.

Farmers are sitting still. There are some years that they would be out on the land already, or at least have the equipment out in the yard getting ready to go. This year nothing like that is happening. Too much snow, or if the snow is gone, there is deep water or mud in its place. Glen is home from his work in the oil patch and expects that "break up" will go on a very long time this year. The ground is so saturated that they were having mud problems when it was 40 below. They would clear off the top frozen layer and find mud - which of course, being warmer than the air, would let steam of all day long. By dark the steam would be gone, they would go home and the next morning they would open it back up and start all over again. Even though these stories are great to tell, I think he would be pretty happy to just have dry earth to work with. There is no finesse to a job done with mud - frozen or otherwise.

I've spent the day thinking of my sister who spent most of her day in surgery to deal with cancer and reconstruction. Sounds like everything went as the doctors planned but texts only give the bare minimum of news - guess it's time to go give them a call.