Without the heavy snow and deep frozen lakes and river, this soft winter has made the signs of spring less eagerly lept upon. But I've seen the robin as well as a rather more dimwitted than usual killdeer and maybe heard the purple finch...or a house finch, p'raps. You know, the one that goes "widdle-wee-diddly-diddly-dee". This weekend is the NY State maple syrup open house and, weather holding and all, we may pop over to the see the Widricks and their Golden Maple Shanty south of Carthage for a fix and the annual supply of maple butter.

What else springy is there to do?