Of crocuses and groundhogs

Frigid temperatures and the manipulated forecasts of manhandled rodents notwithstanding, spring has sprung in Zone 5 Appalachia. Early crocuses are blooming, and the local groundhogs are grazing on roadsides in the warmth of the midday sun. Even the vegetative carnage of a February ice storm won’t cause the sap to recede to the root zone or the blood to thicken and slow. The ground itself seems to breathe, rising and lowering with the fluctuating temperatures. A few parting shots from Mother Hel can’t change that.