We haven’t had any stretches of cold weather yet. Thin films of ice have formed on the garden ponds a few times only to melt by midday. Moderate weather has lingered so long I even got the last garden that needed mulch hay all covered and laid to bed for the winter. The gardens look so tidy, its like a Martha Stewart TV shoot.

It’s more than a little odd to be outside without a jacket this time of year. As I spread the mulch hay, I actually got hot in my shirtsleeves. No one has begun to fight about who “owns” the favorite mittens or hats this winter. The teenagers are still wearing flip flops and crocs without socks. I am tempted to remark how nicely global warming is working out for us in the north country, but it really is not.

I am sure this is confusing to every bit of our natural environment. I can go out and pluck a spring Flower to make my point. The deep blue spring flowering Scilla Sibericas are popping their heads up, ready to bloom right now and each day I look nervously at the Snowdrops that threaten to join them. Then there is the self seeded lettuce growing besides the door into our office. A head of lettuce harvested in December will be a first.

I hope humankind gets its collective acts together to stop all this. Much as I don’t like our winters of old, I would have to be quite the egomaniac to think the whole world should shift its climate to improve my backyard micro-climate. When I moved to the North Pole twenty six years ago, I believed that if I didn’t like the climate, I would need to move, not look to fossil fuels to get things cooking.

I guess we are going to find out either how resilient our dear Earth is or how fast us humans can collectively wake up and take care of each other and this precious planet we share. I hope we wake up.