January is the back and forth month. One day we look back at something that was of interest in 2014 and another day we look forward to something coming up.
An example is last year’s taxes. They produced a small refund which we are still using. This year’s taxes will prove to be a challenge for reasons perhaps only IRS knows. But, there is no doubt it is coming and we are anxiously, if not happily, awaiting the working out of the forms.
On a more positive note, we can look back at each of twelve months and find positive moments like January’s abundant snowfalls which fed and watered the gardens and grass. The month was full of snow with windy conditions amid extra low temperatures. When WSU closed its doors because of weather we knew we were well into a deeper than usual winter.
February saw no end to the snow and cold. On a sunny day five wild turkeys decided to come out of the woods and feed in the fields along Spangler Road. Each day they came and went; by the third week, fifty-two degree air and a warmer sunshine bounced off their wings and wattles. They strutted a bit taller and ranged a bit further out from their wooded haven.
As much as we hate the time changes, March’s clock setting was welcome. It seemed to make winter scurry past a little faster and spring creep in a little earlier. Probably all in our minds, but sometimes those perceptions are just what we needed to get through a few troubled days.
By April 12th our March perceptions had come to a realization in the weather. We grilled out amid warm, balmy air. Our friends in Smithville, Tennessee called as they do every year with the news that they had hummingbirds already. We marked the calendar, knowing that in about two weeks or so we had better have our feeders out for the tiny flying jewels. A yearly hope, we have never been disappointed. On April 30th our first hummer showed up. We called our friends with the news that everything was copacetic in Ohio. Not only hummers were early. Doug found a dozen or so morel mushrooms in his favorite hunting place.
May was probably the most stressful month of 2014 for us. Four ancient red cedar trees had to be taken down. Their aged limbs snapped and twisted trunks split. We did plant one new tree-a redbud. We love the pink hummingbird-shaped blooms each spring and redbuds grow quickly. We lost the use of our commuter to corporate greed tactics. A new computer did not meet the “easy to use” ad. Windows 8.1 is not a user friendly way to work, in our opinion. It would be months of struggling with it before a sort of truce was established between writer and keyboard. By the end of the month, friends were wondering where we were and came looking for us. Nothing in life can be as precious as a friend who comes looking for you, right when you think you’ve lost touch with any semblance of sanity. Those moments can wipe out stress, loneliness and despair.
June alternated between hot days and days of rain. Early in the month a green and yellow parakeet showed up at the bird feeder with the other summer eaters. Too skittish to get close too, all we could do was hope it stuck close to the sparrows. They knew where to flee if the hawk came by; they knew where to find water and shelter at night. The parakeet must have taken note for it was seen under the feeder for over three weeks. By then our largest tree, the ash, had to be taken down due to death by emerald ash borer. It was a summer long process that was something we had never experienced in our lifetime. Losing a tree is somewhat traumatic. Sunlight poured over the yard and shade loving plants struggled to survive. We struggled to find a tiny bit of shade to sit in. Replacement trees were chosen and planted, giving the birds and us hope for the future. A red buckeye and a white fringe tree, along with a red dogwood now stand, waiting for spring’s sun and warmth to bring out the best in them.
July brought its own enigmas. Weather turned cool enough for turning off the air conditioner and enjoying open windows. We relished the early morning breezes. It didn’t last long and the summer hum of AC was back. Just when we tried to gear up for the county fair, we lost electric. It usually happens that way. With it back on in time for the final Friday night cooking contest, we won a blue ribbon and a few minutes of friendly chat with everyone. And that is what makes July a special month.
August and September were filled, it seemed, with health problems that threatened to sidetrack any positive thinking. Only when we started looking in earnest each day for the hummingbirds did we find any kind of solace. They stayed with us through the end of September and on into October. On the first day of the tenth month we put four red hyacinth bulbs to rest in the refrigerator. Getting enough cold but not freezing air would almost guarantee blooms in the middle of winter. There’s nothing like the anticipation of spring blooms in January to keep up one’s morale.
On the first day of November snow flurries surprised us. It happened again on the 13th and again on the 17th. There was no turning that into a positive thought. We just weren’t mentally ready for winter.
December brought no snow. Sleeping flower bulbs came out of their cold storage to sprout and bloom. Gray days outnumbered bright ones. But when the sun did shine we took advantage and went for drives. And on the last Saturday in 2014, at 8:30 a.m. a huge rainbow was in the sky over our backyard. And on the last Sunday in 2014, robins roosted in the tops of bare trees and foraged in the hedgerows along our road. Not a bad ending for a year’s worth of back and forth moments.
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