Spring

It was 50 degrees today-the first to reach this mark since December 5. The 17" snow pack is perceptively lower each day but of course the huge piles remain where we many times dug out the drive. I saw bluebirds flitting about-no doubt in a bit of shock over our still wintery landscape. The sun was warm on the face and I could finally see patches of grass. Soon, the grass will become dominant with the only snow remaining is where there had been large drifts. It's the dying time of winter, while the earth is on the verge of awakening with life dormant just below the surface. But for a few weeks longer, winter will linger not content to go away just yet. He will come back several times, each time weaker until finally, he will succumb to the inevitable cycle of life.

This is Andrew Wyeth's "Spring". A portrait of Karl Kuerner, an old friend and neighbor whose person, wife and farm were subjects in Wyeth's work for many years. The image came to Wyeth during a visit-Kuerner was sick and dying-and Wyeth thought:

 "This man is timeless and began thinking about those drifts up there on the hill and why not just put him in one. There's that other drift there and I hope people who look at this picture will ask, "who's in there?"*

*Andrew Wyeth Autobiography 1995
Picture courtesy Pinterest