For much of the winter, the only bird sounds that we hear are the very large ravens that live here year-round. I think that they are certainly interesting critters, and the nature of their chatter sounds almost human at times, but the lack of variety gets a little old.
As I was walking the dogs this morning, I could hear the unmistakable sound of songbirds. The trees (tall bushes?) are beginning to sport buds. There are puddles of melting snow everywhere. The river ice is beginning to show some signs of deterioration. NOAA has started up its river breakup website again. All signs that spring, and with it, the approaching end of the school year, are bearing down upon us. A month from today, I will be waking up in my bed in our home in Michigan for the first time during summer vacation.
I have grown to love it out here. We both think of the village as home, and we even have grown to enjoy the very odd lifestyle (by back home standards) that our job and posting entails. But it is good, every four months or so, to get back to Michigan and reconnect with friends and family. Our kids get homesick when they are gone for a day or two in Bethel. We are nearly 4,000 miles from our other loved ones. We need the recharge, and then we come back fresh for the next year's challenges.
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