Ice Out on the Moose Pond

The kids and I ride out to the mailbox each morning at 6:30am and wait for the school bus. In some ways, the ride marks the passing of the seasons of the school year. The sunny spring mornings are by far the most ripe with possibility and cheeriness.
This morning we saw a mangy moose as we were pulling out of our driveway. If she is also pregnant, we sure hope she makes it. Her fur looked so patchy and unhealthy and she seemed to0 tired to move out of the way. We sat in the truck and stared at her as she looked down on us. “Geez Mom, she’s bigger than the Jeep.”
Then we saw a wolf who also wasn’t alarmed by us. Not skittish—because we are right in the middle of his territory? (I saw that wolf later closer to where the moose has been lingering….but can’t imagine that he’d take on that car-sized animal alone.)
On the next curve we saw that the moose pond completely thawed. There is nothing more calming than still waters. What a day!