The Rural Voice, 2002-03, Page 8• two 5 1/2" augers
provide positive
gentle lift
• eliminates
troublesome chains
• space saving
vertical positioning
• low maintenance —
durable Delron
bearings
AUG -A -BALE
also Mow systems - Inslallahon available
WEBER LANE MFG.
(1990) CO.
R R 4, Listowel, ON N4W 3G9
For Sales & Service call:
Weber's Farm Service 519-664-1185
NEW & USED
UNIVERSAL
TRACTORS
Paris & Service
• Bale Feeders
• Cattle Crates
• Gates & Panels
• Lucknow Snowblowers
BOYD FARM
SUPPLY
Agricultural Equipment
R.R. #6, Owen Sound
519-376-5880
4 THE RURAL VOICE
Carol Riemer
Sweet signs of spring
Carol Riemer
is a freelance
writer who
lives with her
husband and
two
children near
Grand
Valley.
Ontario.
There are times when I think that
winter could last forever. Without the
subtle changes of the season, there
would be no hint of spring, no
warmth in the gentle sunlight that
streams through my kitchen window,
not even the slightest indication that
winter may soon be gone.
But, there are hopeful signs about.
The birds seem to linger more often
at the feeder these days, and the wood
stove, no longer locked in mortal
combat with the cold, now chooses to
discourage the pervading dampness.
Despite its grim expression, winter
has shown some signs of softening.
In this time of transition, late
snows eagerly turn into early spring
rain. Risking the scorn of my well
informed, fashion -conscious children,
I pull a rumpled yellow raincoat from
the back of the closet, confident that
it will successfully fend off the wind
and the weather. My tall rubber
boots, however, are still no match for
the mud that stubbornly clings to my
heels and follows me back into the
house.
Inevitably, spring mud reduces the
bottom of our driveway to an
impassable quagmire. I dare not set
foot on the fields, for fear of instantly
being swallowed up. Rumour has it
that, several years ago, a car and a
tractor both succumbed to a similar
fate. Disappearing without a trace
beneath the muddy surface, they were
said to be consumed by no more than
a single gulp.
Country roads can also be
hazardous, at this time of year. Heavy
rains and blinding fog often result in
reduced visibility, and those perilous
potholes that lay dormant all winter,
are apt to reappear without warning.
Add to this, the local wildlife
population, just awakening to a new
season, and you have a dangerous
mix.
Inside, the seeds I ordered in
January, when the garden was still
covered by a Tight blanket of snow,
are now ready to start. Filling the
seed trays with potting soil, I
suddenly find myself ambushed by a
gang of gregarious green thumbs with
ideas of their own. Much discussion
follows, focussing mostly on whether
or not we should start the tomato
plants. Diplomacy wins out. I bite my
lip, and silently vow to do my
seeding by flashlight next year, long
after the rest of the family has gone to
bed.
Thankfully, spring's arrival has
other compensations. The onset of
warmer days and cold nights means
the sap will soon be running. Taking
in one of the local maple syrup
festivals in our area is a yearly ritual,
a chance to visit the sugar bush and
see, first hand, the sap collected in
traditional buckets, or transported by
more modern plastic tubing.
Horse drawn wagon rides make it
a special family day out. Stamping
their hooves in the frosty spring air,
the horses can be heard jingling their
harnesses in celebration of a new
season. As steam rises from the old
sugar shack, we can watch, by the
warmth of a wood fire that crackles
beneath the bubbling, boiling sap, the
production of another fine harvest of
maple syrup.
Sampling a little maple butter, it's
easy to give in to the temptation
of pure maple sugar and to take home
some golden syrup to drizzle across a
steaming stack of apple pancakes.
These days, there's a sweetness in the
air, and a hint of romance in a season
that awakens the senses, and renews
the spirit. Despite all the hardships of
wind, rain and mud, it's
encouraging to know that, beneath
the fading winter landscape, there are
sweet signs of spring just waiting to
be discovered.0