Spring

Despite the recent snowfall I know in my heart that Spring is right around the corner. How did I come by this knowledge you may ask? Well, unlike that simple-minded, lying bastard known as "Phil", some critters truly do sense when Old Man Winter has finally relaxed his icy grip and is ready to call it a night.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the Spring Peeper, otherwise known 'round these parts as P. c. crucifer. 

They apparently wake up rather horny after spending all Winter buried in frozen ooze and immediately begin the search for a mate. Their calls are so loud they can often be heard from as far as two and a half miles away. Gathered by the gazillions, as they seem to be directly across from my house, you can imagine the magnificent Peeper Orchestra that I am treated to on a nightly basis. 

So as I prepare to throw another log in the wood stove and am eternally thankful that the power just came back on, I rest easy in my soul knowing that the Peepers are out there, soliciting Spring with their warbled symphony.