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The promise of a new day

By Jack Hughes, For The Greene County Messenger 3 min read
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Jack Hughes

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Jack Hughes

A picturesque early morning.

I love morning; the beginning of a new day with all of its possibilities.

I especially love each sunrise that morning has to offer; the colors, the clouds the drifting fog. Each morning is so different; and never an exact repeat.

What a thrill to be up early perhaps on the bike trail or hiking and watching Mother Nature unfold in all her glory. I love to follow the light through the ever changing seasons; up early in summer to get a start on the day and a bit later in winter to take advantage of a little extra snooze time.

Early gives one a better chance to see the fog lifting off the river or the eagle searching for a morning breakfast and of course who could miss another beautiful sunrise.

Already Mother Nature is beginning her day earlier and the signs of spring are everywhere. Tiny white snowdrop flowers have already brightened a few landscapes along with colorful Hellebore that like to keep their head low to protect themselves from the cold and snow.

Very soon the yellow Daffodil and Forsythia will grace our gardens and bring a burst of color as these early arrivals announce their intentions of the coming spring. Along our roadways yellow Coltsfoot love to show off on a sunny day as they pop out from the leaf debris and populate barren roadsides.

In the woods the debris is also being shoved aside to make way for the appearance of the white Bloodroot, one of the first woodland wildflowers to bloom. Soon they will be followed by lavender Spring Beauties and a whole array of wildflowers for the annual spring wildflower show.

My favorite part of spring’s promise is the arrival of the Spring Peepers that begin singing their mating chorus and on some warm spring days it is like a symphony of sound permeating across the waters.

Mornings are a great time to enjoy a bike ride or a hike on one of our many trails. Mornings are always a little cooler and there is a good chance you will see the fog or mist rising off the river. If you look carefully a Bald Eagle or Blue Heron may soar down the canyon in search of breakfast.

Deer are always out and a little later in the season it’s not unusual to catch a glimpse of a bear on their morning journey. There are also a lot less people out earlier and with our changing outdoor patterns of the past few years trails and parks can be a bit busy later in the day.

As to the weather for late March we can now expect many days to be in the 50s and 60s. Precipitation is mostly rain but on any day in late March we can see snow, however any snow that falls usually melts away quickly with the warming sun. The Climate Prediction Center is calling for above normal temperatures and rainfall for the remainder of the month of March.

Sailors would often remark that a pink sky in the morning is usually a warning and a pink sky at night is usually a delight. Since our weather generally moves from west to east this old saying has some science to it as the morning pink sky means the storm is still to come and the evening pink sky means it has already passed.

On occasion the promise of a new day disappoints. Life does that sometimes but remember tomorrow begins with a new sunrise and a new promise.

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