This is the last vestige of winter remaining in the yard. For the past two weeks, I have been raking around what originally was a large snowbank as it released its grip on the yard. The rain in this evening's forecast should hasten its final demise. There was an advantage to its lingering presence; I had an excuse for not completing the raking task in one go.

This past week, I marked another milestone in the changing of the seasons; the snowblower was put into its summer location following an oil change and the lawnmower was taken out of its winter location. The oil had been changed in the lawnmower before it was put away last fall. I am trusting that the precipitation  in the forecast will not come as snow and that the next piece of power yard equipment needed will be the lawnmower.

We shall see if the calender and the forecast are in sync. If not, it won't be the first time that I fell victim to unrealistic expectations based on faulty data.

The weather has taken a wintry turn since Tuesday. That afternoon with temperatures near 70 degrees, thoughts of washing the car and truck came to mind--washing the old fashioned way, that is, parked in the driveway with the hose on the outside faucet, cold water and only cold water all the way. It must be a rite of spring in car culture to perform this initial bath of the automobile in a highly stylized manner. I wonder if there is an approved clothing list and an equally approved selection of beverages and finger foods that must accompany this ritual activity in order to insure freedom from accidents and mechanical breakdowns during the following six months.

Having spent Tuesday morning performing clean up chores in the sugarhouse, I decided to postpone this rite of spring. It just seemed like too much work. I picked up the yard instead--another rite of spring--and only that part that was free of snow. Winter returned or, at least, turned around and came back in, as it appeared to be slipping out the door. With a total of 18 inches of snow and 30 degree temperatures, it is looking a lot like Christmas. Forget about spring rites and rituals, the winter chore of clearing the deck and driveway continues.

The task of pulling taps or spiles along with gathering up and washing bag holders, which will formally mark the end of the syrup season, has been postponed until next week. We are expecting more seasonal weather that can accompany these tasks. An outside activity like washing bagholders--not unlike car washing--is not something to be undertaken in freezing temperatures.

Addendum: Spell checking is an interesting exercise. The correct spelling is wintry and not wintery. Spile is correct, even though it is not in the database, so I reverted to Webster's New World Dictionary and then learned that spiling is synonymous with piling.