Spring

I sure haven't been writing much lately. In part it's because there's been a lot on my mind. But I was also away - the second week in April I went to Vermont for some Buddhist teachings.

It is mud season in Vermont. This is the period when the moisture held by the deep frost during winter works its way to the surface. And of course there's the snow melting and occasional rain to insure a mess. Rain or shine, there is mud. And since many of the roads are unpaved, this is a serious business. In fact some say that Vermont has five seasons: summer, fall, winter, mud, and spring.

Indeed, it wasn't quite spring during our visit, but it sure was mud. Even though we depended on our inkeeper for transport over the dirt road from the bed and breakfast where we stayed to the paved road where we parked the car, there was one day when we were able to drive ourselves. And on that one day we picked up substantial amounts of Vermont on the car's undercarriage.

When we got back home, the trees and bushes were much farther along. And the heavy rain last week began the job of removing the mud from the car - you can see the lumps of clay, and the trail it has left on the driveway. A bit of Vermont.