Right now I don’t feel much like a mean, ugly wolf. I feel like an old, worn out, aching, tired wolf. Every year, winter gets harder to take. At least winter should not continue much longer here where I live. We have a pair of geese who nest on our lake every year. While geese can be a mess to have around, these two drive all the others away, so I am happy to have them. A few weeks ago, they arrived and quickly made it up to the house for a cup of corn. Most of the ice had melted off the lake by the time the pair landed and they’ve since set up housekeeping and are getting ready to build their nest.

The following week I noticed a muskrat swimming across one arm of the lake. Shortly after that, a blue heron landed and began walking along the shore. Then the time changed, though to me it is still odd to move to daylight savings time early in March rather than the first weekend of April. Instead of frozen ground, it is now all mud. The pile of firewood no longer decreases every day. About one day a week, the temperature will reach into an almost pleasant range. It would be an idyllic time of year if not for the 18 degree mornings.

Maybe when the dogs start curling up outside in the sun, that might mean spring has arrived. There is likely some particular bloom or bird that signals a change in the season at the point where cold weather is finished. I don’t recall it, though, if I ever noticed it in the past. Probably too busy enjoying warmer weather to note what had just preceded it.

Does this have anything to do with being a wolf? As I was writing this little post on nothing in particular, I thought “no,” but further reflection leaves me unsure. Since I am moving around, aware of my surroundings, not hiding in the middle of a herd, not scared to go outside whenever I wish, I can wonder about nature and weather. There’s no one to text message, no television show that I must watch to remain cognizant of current fashion and culture, no popular trends to follow. There is just what I choose to do. And to be. Even if that is an old, tired wolf waiting for spring.