Nature Done Wright

   As I watched the sun come up this morning, I recalled how today was supposed to be the start of a long-awaited warming trend. But at the moment North Jersey sure seems a lot closer to the dead of winter than the life of spring.

   The lake is still frozen-solid, the grass is a faded green, and a pile of shoveled snow sits at the base of my neighbor’s drive.

  Even so, it was 25 degrees by 7 a.m. today, and the kitchen water faucet is no longer frozen shut.

  What’s more, a warm spell is supposedly on its way. Soon enough, spring will rev her engines and all of this will be forgotten.

Life consists one long transition, but these days the changes are more apparent.

Yesterday, the marsh warden walked on the frozen-solid lake to repair a wood-duck box that had been vandalized during the recent skating season.

As soon as open water returns, so will maybe a dozen wood ducks.

They will pair off, choose from among the nesting boxes on the lake, and begin their families.

In two months, ducklings will jump out of those nesting boxes, and the life cycle will begin anew.