In the past several years, the village ducks have returned to our pond by now and are happily paddling around quacking as they scurry off to overhanging bushes lining the water. But this year, the pond seems to have a death grip on its ice, some of which may be the result of the deep freezing temperatures of early winter. From the amount of tracks on the snowy areas on the pond, the ducks' absence may be warranted. Seems like all the wildlife has been on high alert looking for food. I think it's been a tough winter for most.

A recent glimmer of hope, however, has been the sightings of robins probing the various areas that have been melted by the strengthening sun. One robin actually was pulling up an earthworm which is an indication of things on the move. Although robins are a sign of returning warmth, I suspect that some of the flock may actually winter over in the deep woods. Occasionally in winter I have seen a pathetic robin peering down at the earth in search of something edible. Must be rather frustrating. The deer tracks lead directly to a variety of shrubs and bushes on the property, but I think it's been a challenging winter for them as well.

A week or so ago, we got an extraordinary couple days of incredible sun. It was such a blessing after the freezing cold and winds. I think we almost saw 60F temps with even more heat in the direct sun. It was a short-lived game changer for sure, but provided a nice break and some hope for milder weather. Hope was quickly dashed by returning seasonal cold and bluster.

During that couple days of beautiful sunshine, I snagged the scene shared today. The intensity of the sun along with contrasting shadows, a premature glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. Even the sunshine on the water blurred the ghostly profile of a wintered over sailboat. I was convinced that Punxsutawney Phil had impaired vision. But I was wrong, again. Figured it was safer to document the return of ducks to the pond and robin reappearances.

So the moral of this story is, be careful of what you don’t wish for. I certainly didn’t wish for all this rain and wind which is determined to find its way into our house. Wind and rain from the Southeast brings out the worst in our old family shelter and reminds me of projects yet unattended to. I hate carrying bundles of shingles to the roof.

But the good side of things is that the ducks may soon have an ice-free landing zone. Time will tell. As the saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather in Maine, wait five minutes and it will change.” This could be a long five minutes!