Today, on the river, most of the ice was gone. This is not to say that there will not be more tomorrow, but the Red River is flowing quickly, the ice is melting and what has not already melted is being carried northward, dissolving as it goes. Last year at this time, the river was still solid ice - four feet thick - no visible cracks. This year, the slabs of ice that remain, are no more than a foot thick. When it is winter, I never think about how thick the ice is once it has frozen solid. Ice is ice. But, apparently, that is not so - degrees of thickness makes the difference between an early spring and a late one. This spring is definitely an early one. Even if it should storm tomorrow (which is could) it would still be early. Today, in my backyard, (southern exposure) the tip of one tulip is visible. March 22 - one visible tulip.
Today, on the river, most of the ice was gone. This is not to say that there will not be more tomorrow, but the Red River is flowing quickly, the ice is melting and what has not already melted is being carried northward, dissolving as it goes. Last year at this time, the river was still solid ice - four feet thick - no visible cracks. This year, the slabs of ice that remain, are no more than a foot thick. When it is winter, I never think about how thick the ice is once it has frozen solid. Ice is ice. But, apparently, that is not so - degrees of thickness makes the difference between an early spring and a late one. This spring is definitely an early one. Even if it should storm tomorrow (which is could) it would still be early. Today, in my backyard, (southern exposure) the tip of one tulip is visible. March 22 - one visible tulip.
