Megaphone -- Page 2

Spring 2005 in Elwood

by Ron Runyan

Every year I get a case of the late winter doldrums from cabin fever, and really look forward to the spring season. Groundhog day usually starts the process. However, someone once told me that regardless if the little critter sees his shadow or not . . . if you would count 6 weeks from February 2, you would find on the calendar that it is close to March 20, which is the first day of spring. So much for the reliability of a rodent as a sign of spring!

Early in March you can walk in the Elwood city park, and see small wildflowers like spring beauties or trillium starting to bloom. My wife, Sandy, has had crocuses blooming outside around the house now for a couple of weeks now. Although I appreciate how nice-looking these flowers are at this time of year . . . it doesn’t quite get me into the mood that "SPRING IS HERE!"

There is still a chill in the air, the grass is still grayish-brown, and the tree limbs are still bare without leaves. I see farmers in their fields putting down anhydrous ammonia and disking corn stalks preparing the seed beds for planting . . . but the ground is still too cold for any corn or bean seeds to sprout. I’m waiting impatiently for spring!

For me to be excited about spring being just around the corner, I have to see robins!! Last year I remember that it was just a couple of days into March. I can remember a couple of years before that, we had some really warm weather at the end of February in Elwood. It was then that I saw dozens of robins in countless flocks all over town. One year, on the east side of Elwood High School in a practice area by the baseball field, I saw so many robins in this lot that to say there were 2 to 3 hundred would be no exaggeration. That particular sight really got me energized about spring being here that year!!!

On a warm day several weeks ago, Sandy told me she saw a couple of robins out by the school. A day or two later it snowed . . . yuk! These robins that appear in late January or early February must be "scouts" checking out the area to see if it is ready or not. (I wonder if they fly back to Kentucky to roost for a couple of weeks before trying out the Elwood area again?) With the ground still being frozen, they could almost break their beaks trying to poke into the ground to get a worm. Even when I first see a robin, and I know the ground is thawing, I worry if they are finding any worms to eat. This year, after the first week of March, I was talking with colleagues and friends to see if they had seen any robins yet around Elwood. I kept getting negative replies.

During the second week of March, cardinals have been serenading me on my way to the truck in the morning. Even when I get home from school, I hear and see these pretty, “red whistlers” on the highest branches of the trees in the neighborhood competing to see who can sing and whistle the prettiest and loudest to claim the territory.

Then, it was a little after 7:00 a.m. on St. Patrick’s Day this year. I stepped outside on my way to the garage to go to school. I was wearing my green shirt with a light jacket. Elwood’s morning temperatures are still in the mid 30’s. Not only did I hear the cardinals whistling but, then I heard that familiar "cherry-oh . . . cherry-oh" song. (The last cherry-oh has a higher pitch than the first.) I stopped and looked around. I knew this was the call of those robins!! I walked around the garage, then the house. I walked around looking into the neighbors’ yards. Where did that call come from? On my way to school, I kept my eyes peeled in all the yards. Two to three times that day, I would look out back of the school, into that east practice field to see any robins were in it. No such luck.

The next day, even though Sandy and I have already cleaned up the broken branches from the January ice storm, we decided to rake the yard. The winter winds had blown leaves and debris around the flower beds, and there was still small twigs yet to rake. After about a half an hour into our project, I looked over towards the garage, and there they were! I called for Sandy to come and see these two orange-bellied beauties! Although she had on a sweater, I was in short sleeves, and I told her that SPRING IS HERE! It now official, I finally saw my first robins. After the yard work was finished, I was putting the rakes and tools away in the garage, and I looked over at the lawn mowers. Then I questioned myself???? Oil needs changing, blades need sharpened, new plugs and filters . . . then I’ll have to mow the grass!!!

While reading this article, you might have been saying to yourself the same as I was thinking at that moment as I was looking at the lawn mowers. Why am I in such a hurry for spring?!!

Two words: CABIN FEVER! I’d love to be outdoors rather than sitting here on this PC!

Ron Runyan
Class of 1961
Elwood, IN