The Signs of Spring

The weather here at the Mill has warmed. The snow is gone and the ground is soft. There is mud in the low areas and on the roads. Everywhere else it is spongy, as if the earth is covered with a great mottled scab full of last year’s litter and the promise of this year’s growth.

I was walking down to the canning factory when I saw a crocus. It was in the center of a patch of green beneath a concrete wall, and once I saw it, I noticed a couple others. Then I saw the shoots of daffodils and I knew that she must be out, so I headed back up towards the Old Building to see if I could find Percy.

Sure enough, there she was, with a bag of fertilizer over her shoulder. She was talking to Brother Basil, who was wearing his Bee Suit.

“Percy!” I said, “So glad to see you. I was starting to get worried. The first of May isn’t far off and I need to talk to you about the Maypole celebration.”

She rolled her eyes. I saw it. She rolled her eyes at Brother Basil and he laughed. It’s not easy being the Boss around here.

“I was thinking that this year the young women dancing around the Maypole could wear ass pants instead of the chiffon dresses they usually wear.”

“Ass pants?” Brother Basil asked.

“He means ‘leggings’,” Percy said.

“Yes, leggings,” I said. “What if we got a bunch of white ones? Wouldn’t that look nice? I think it would be festive.”

“Festive for who?” She asked.

“The gods,” I said.

She turned back to the monk, who seemed pained by my mention of the gods. “Basil, you said that you hadn’t seen a daffodil yet, but right here is Narcissus in full bloom.”

I pointed to the bag of turf builder she had slung over her shoulder.

“You’re not going to spread that shit yet, are you? It has to be watered in, and the water system hasn’t been turned on. That stuff can be toxic to dogs.”

“I don’t care about Otto,” Percy said, “All that dog does is shit on my lawns. It might teach him a lesson to get his paws burned.”

“Hey, look,” she continued, “I hope your electric fence is on, Basil, because that’s Charlie over there sucking on the bird feeder.”

Sure enough, a big black bear we call ‘Charlie’ had ambled out of the woods and was upending a tube feeder he had pulled off the deck in the back of the Canteen.

“The fence is on, but I better go check it,” Basil said, then he marched off in the direction of the apiary.

“Well, Percy, I’m glad you’re up.” I said, “I think it is going to be a great season.”

“Thank you, Gutbloom.” She said, “It’s good to be back. I’m looking forward to the growth.”

I watched her walk off in the direction of the front lawn. Each step she took seemed to green the sod around her. There was a little bit of wind, and it made some noise, but as I watched Percy I became aware of a distant humming. It grew louder and louder and slowly I realized what it was. It was the sound of an Indian Scout motorcycle making it’s way over Bull’s Bridge. Not only was I sure of the sound, but also of what it meant.

Pee Wee was back.