Yesterday, that lot on the right hand side of the picture above was cleared of snow and today the white layer left behind is gone. My next door neighbour is out clearing away some of the winter from in front of his motorhome garage.

The temperature has been hanging in there well below freezing each night and during the day it gets only a degree or two above the freezing level while the sun steadily melts away the snow from the fields and yards. It is a very gradual spring this season of 2008 and though we may still see a flood each day the likelihood of a soft spring seems to be emerging.

The ten or twelve geese that have made it back to Tisdale so far are putting up with a few puddles and spend each day looking over the snow filled Doghide with very little in sight for food. Its a good thing these animals know how to make due when things are adverse.

The gradualness of this spring is remarkable because the snow in our yard is ever so slowly shrinking and in the open areas were there is lots of dust the snow is quickly disappearing all together. I drove out of town a mile today and none of the surrounding fields are showing any dark patches of stubble and dirt showing but over toward the golf course (below) this ditch was full of water.