I was feeling stir crazy. I have not been outside the house since Wednesday. I bundled up and took a walk over to the stream in the forest behind the playground near my home. In the past, I had seen skunk cabbage, an indicator that spring has sprung, growing here.

The air was cold and crisp, and a steady breeze blew against my exposed cheeks. The path to the stream leads behind the tennis courts to an open grassy area with a volleyball net. The grass was soggy wet, but I made my way through to the muddy area under the trees. There were lots of small dead branches across the swampy area under the trees.

I made my way down to the stream. No ice. Usually, the side of the stream would be lined with ferns and skunk cabbage growing in dense clusters. Not today. Not yet.