Date:
24 February 2017
Time:
9:00pm
Temperature:
66°F
I firmly believe that there is almost nothing better than flying down
highway with the windows rolled down and country music blasting through the
speakers. Wind flies through the car like a cyclone, making your hair dance in
your face. Sunshine is warm on your skin. Base thumps through the speakers.
Then again, I said almost nothing better.
One of the only things truly better than that are summer bon fires. You
don’t necessarily need mountain pies or s’mores to make a perfect bon fire. No,
you need a stack or two of dry wood, a handful of friends, and some warm
weather. Today, this evening, had all of those things.
Because it is late February—not even spring—our bon fire lacked a lot.
As I lied on the ground beside my tree, looking up at the star speckled sky, I thought
about summer, about when my favorite aspects of the summer night will appear,
about how the first signs of it will arrive sooner rather than later.
March
The spring-peepers made their first appearance last spring almost a year
ago next week. There’s a pond behind my house in the woods where they live and
breed each year. During much of the summer, the pond is more of a large mud
puddle. But wildlife thrives here. Geese visit frequently throughout the year. Many
different kinds of green plants grow thick. Deer—as well as other natural creatures
of our neighborhood—come here for water.
But the spring-peepers are my favorite. Spring-peepers are a kind of
chorus frog. Like any frog, they start off as tadpoles. When I was younger, I wanted
to collect a few of these babies in a mason jar and take them home; my dad wouldn’t
let me. These creatures, about an inch long each, chirp and cheep, creating a
beautiful music that acts as a back-beep for the spring and summer seasons. The
internet claims they sound like sleigh bells. To me, there’s nothing like their
peeping; they are completely unique. Look up their music on YouTube.
It won’t be several more months until true aspects of summer get here.
Yes, coyotes, raccoons, deer, and other animals have been here off and on all
year long. Fireflies, blackberries, blueberries, and other beautiful pieces of
me won’t show themselves until June or July. Until then, as the bon fire cracks
and flaws, I’ll take what I can get.