Joe sat staring at the fast melting snow. He was excited to see a glimpse of grass, even if it was brown and lifeless.
No, not lifeless. He knew that under the surface worms would soon be wriggling and ants would be waking…waiting for the day they could all come out to gather food for the year.
Winter had been cold and quiet in the bug hunting business. Sure, Joe came across the occasional spider or cricket. Once he even found a centipede in the basement…he smiled remembering how much that find freaked his mom out. Other than that though, his Bug Gun had stayed in its case, untouched.
But, Spring was coming soon. He first realized it when he came downstairs and saw his mom starting seeds.
Then, they brought home a new batch of chicks. Once the shock of the move had worn off, he started instruct them on bug hunting methods.
The Rhode Islands they’d bought last year were great bug assassins, but these Red Stars would have the benefit of his expert training.
Plus, they were eager to learn.
But the best news of Spring came when his mom looked at the forecast.
“Looks like Winter is on it’s way out!” she exclaimed.
“Really?” Joe could hardly contain his glee.
“Yep, the highs next week are in the mid to high 50’s.”
Joe jumped up at this happy piece of news and did a little jig before racing back to his bedroom.
“Where are you going Joe?”
But he didn’t hear his mom’s question. He was already in his room opening up his Bug Gun case. He pulled it out and began to clean it and check the batteries.
“Time to get you ready for Spring!”
a pinch of homestead 