Yesterday, the dog and I went for a walk to see if Mike was tapping the maple trees. Not yet, although the taps are in place.

On Monday when I spoke to his wife, Claire, she told me that it is still too cold for the sap to flow. Right now there is just the barest trickle.

Soon, very soon, it should be warm enough for the sap to flow. On yesterday’s walk, I became so warm that I actually had to take off my jacket and cinch it around my waist. There the jacket stayed until I got home, where I discovered the temperature had reached fifty degrees. That’s a first for this year. No wonder I was warm. Also, I have decided I no longer need to wear jeans over leggings when I go out. The jeans alone will do just fine.

On the walk, I noticed a few other things:

A robin in a tree.

The beech trees still haven’t shed last year’s leaves.

The beauty of a bare birch against a blue sky.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but in Maine, March is not the most photogenic month. Unless you look up. Then you can see the sky and feel the warm sun on your face.

Good lessons for getting through what can be a dismal month.