Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

After dinner I went out to work in the yard. All day the air had been chilly and the sky grey and now a fine rain began  to fall, mingled with snow. So I got my overcoat and defied this ugly weather. I raked up a lot of grass and made a fire, which aided by branches, was soon burning cheerily and sending up great clouds of pure white smoke. Then I set to work at the grape-arbor, First I gathered up all the grapevines, for I would not rake here where the wild flowers were. Then I took up the worn out board walk and raked out thru the center. There were many angleworms here and I hated to disturb them. Soon this was done and I sprinkled manure over the flower beds.                                                                                          

By now it was raining harder and I was driven indoors.  After awhile it got a little colder and soon big, wet flakes of snow were coming down from the northeast on a wet chilly earth. It seems as tho it will never be Spring to stay, but I saw another sure sign Thursday night. During the storm as I was bringing the clothes back, I saw a big hop-toad in the middle of the side-walk, and after supper when we were watching the lightning, we could hear either frogs or toads singing in some distant marsh. Mother said that it sounded mournful to her, but it meant Spring to me.

Charles Burchfield, April 8, 1911