Under Watch

Ten inches of wet heavy snow fell outside our house on Thursday. The novelty of snow this late into spring is matched only by the eerie feeling that comes with the flat light of a wintry 5:30 dawn. Despite the current snow depth and the pending winter storm forecast for Sunday, spring is beginning to make an appearance on the face of the days events. The nights are certainly shorter and animals we haven't seen since October are beginning to appear. On my way to the car this morning, I crossed paths with a disoriented field mouse. I imagine it was trying to find its way into the warmth of the basement.
The topic of weather is usually one reserved for surface conversation or dinner tables at which only neutral speech is allowed, or in the instances of this blog, when weather events appear with such intensity and force, the lives of those living in their path are altered. I am making an exeption to this today in particular because it is very rare that New England observes a spring in which the snowfall total exceeds the total received in the winter months. This has not happened yet, but it appears that the storm on Sunday may yeild snow measured by the foot. In Boston, it is likely to be all rain. For this reason, the Boston Marathon authority announced this moring that it will not be postponing the event (an option it had entertained as late as last evening) and that racers are to prepare for cold, wet conditions. In Vermont however, we have put away our hopes for an early spring and are sharpening our shovels for the next event.