Nova Scotia Island Journal: Spring is coming

In May 2011, after four years of life on McNutt's Island, we moved to Montreal. This blog remains, though, as a (sort of) daily record of our time on the island, and a winding path for anyone who would like to meander about among its magical places. For additional perspectives and insights I recommend Greg's book, Island Year: Finding Nova Scotia (2010), and my Bowl of Light (2012). I'll continue to post once in a while. If you do want to read this blog, one option would be to begin at the beginning of it (which is, as we all know, in blog-world, at the end), and read forward, concluding with the most recent entry. It's a journal, really, so it does makes more sense if you read it that way. But, you know, read it any way you like.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Spring is coming

Signs of spring are different here. You don't see trees leafing out yet, and since most of the island's trees are spruce, there isn't any dramatic change anyway. The flowering of trees and bushes -- shadbush, apple, pear, wild cherry, rhodendron -- won't be happening for a while.

But one reliable sign of island spring is sheep lying down. Folks say they do this more often as their collective pregnancy advances.

Counting from the time Leroy dropped the rams off on the island -- December 22nd -- the lambs are due starting around the third week in May. I guess the flock is beginning to feel it.

It was quite amusing one day last week to see the ewes all taking it easy in the lower orchard, while the rams did the same in the back orchard. I wonder whether this is an example of sympathetic pregnancy.