Spring - At Last

The peepers are proof. Spring has finally arrived in the Northwoods.

The boardwalk at Shelp Lake in Forest County, WI.

"An early spring warmed the Northwoods. The night air sang with the crystal call of spring peepers; the wind sighed through the pines."

This is the first line of my recently released novel, Lost Lake. The next scene continues the theme of a northern spring - "The forest floor is quiet now, a carpet of red-brown needles and a little snow. Soon it will erupt with thick green ferns and white trillium and yellow marsh marigolds."

The bulk of the novel occurs during the spring; and it was fitting for my first book based on the Northwoods. My love of this region bloomed in the spring of 2021, when I first came up north to visit a friend - as my marriage was swiftly unraveling. I saw Forest County as the salve my soul needed, and it seemed to prove healing for my two sons as well.

I had never experienced anything like the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Our stay in Forest County was exactly what we needed. We took road trips - explored the Upper Peninsula and Lake Superior for the first time - and watched the woods slowly come to life around us. It was magical. And every spring, we remember; and it's no less magical after three years.

Our first look at Lake Superior

I remember my wonderment at seeing the ferns begin to unfurl, until they were so thick you couldn't see the ground. I remember the first time I saw trillium - and now I live in Rhinelander, and don't see it unless I drive out to Forest County. Last spring I didn't even see it in Hiles; I chased it, and finally found it growing thick about halfway between Crandon and Laona.

Trillium, near Laona

That first spring in Forest County was breathtaking. But it's still a wondrous journey where I live now. Our apartment complex has lovely landscaping; soon the bushes will begin to flower and their sweet scent will drift in through our open windows.

Delicate blossoms on the bushes outside our apartment

And we can hear the delicate song of the spring peepers, little frogs that thrive in the damp of spring. If you visit my TikTok page, you can hear them on a recent video.

Today as I look outside my window, brightly colored little birds hop from branch to branch in the gentle rain. After the white of winter, it's like a riot of color - a brilliantly red cardinal, rosy-headed finches, bold yellow goldfinches, and robins with their orange breasts and yellow beaks.

The view from my balcony today

It is raining softly

And the entire world

Is turning green.

Does that even qualify as a haiku? My syllables are off; but the seasonal idea is there, I think.

© 2024 T.H. Figg