When I got to school this morning, I burst into the room where I work and told everyone that I’d just seen my first TV! Students and fellow teachers looked as though I’d lost my mind. I let them think that for a while, until I explained that TV, in birder’s language, means Turkey Vulture. I’d just seen the first one of the season, riding north on gusty south winds, its wings in the typical V angle as it teetered slightly in the air. Not five minutes later, I saw another V in the sky — my first flight of geese heading up the lake. And about a minute after that, another TV.
It was an auspicious start to the day, which was good, because I was searching for some positive lights after learning that a former student has just passed away and that a friend’s cancer has moved to stage four. Time to grab my camera and the dog and go for a walk in the wind.
Today, the brook broke free of its ice for the first time all winter. When I left the house this morning, the only bare ground was around the bases of the apple trees. This afternoon, I can see the lawn again. These are good things. Take pictures, look into the wind, and pretend that’s why I’m crying.