Winter's Exuberant Song...

Winter, steamy and damp, proceeds unabated, 

even as Christmas moon wanes, 

and we wonder, 

in the warm and wet,

at the creatures wandering about.

Toad is a welcome visitor, 

though unexpected in late December,

and we chill for a while,

ruminating on the warmth and the wet and the weather;

reflecting together by the light of the moon,

before we go our separate ways.

Days pass.

Warm winter days, laden with rain, 

replenishing the ephemeral ponds and dry woodland streams,

yielding then to long December nights,

filled to overflowing with the frogs

and their exuberant song... 

Here's a sampling of last night's chorus...

Sounds a lot like spring,
here at the dawn of a new year in the heart of Carolina.

Thanks to Jay Randolph and our amphibian friends for the lovely recording.
Happy New Year!