Late Winter, East Hampton

It is mid-March, and I am back in East Hampton dealing with office matters, as there is more than usual on the docket for this time of year.The morning sky is bright blue with a few scattered clouds.The air is chilly.Today is St. Paddy’s Day, and I am hosting an office lunch of corned beef and cabbage at a local restaurant, Bobby Vans, in Bridgehampton. Otherwise, I would have gone for a run at Northwest Harbor – it is that kind of morning.The roads are quiet except for the rush-hour cars and trucks streaming across the Shinnecock Canal from the west, known as the trade parade.

This morning, I startled a deer when I went to get my newspaper out of the driveway.It stopped its feeding and looked at me as if to say, “Why are you here when you could be in Florida?”

Out back, the swans are partnered up and cruising past my backyard in Jones Cove, their home during mating season from March to June.The pond is filling up now after having been drained over the winter to prevent flooding at the waterfront properties.

The open field in front of my house has been cut, and foxes can be spotted darting about.The birdsong is a bit subdued; the bird feeders bent over from the last heavy snow and needing repair, cleaning, and replenishing.The potholes in the driveway need filling, and the split rail fence along the driveway needs fixing.It will all get done in due course.After lunch, I went for a muddy walk in the woods and spotted the tips of crocuses here and there: one of nature’s quieter signs that it is awakening from its winter slumber.