Dry cool week until this weekend which brought warm sunny spring days, with showers starting last night and into today. 3.4mm of much-needed rain overnight as lawns were pretty dry and brown. A new septic field was seeded in the fall and hasn’t sprouted yet. Bush trails had a few icy trail patches remaining. Forest detritus, especially on higher ground, has dried out. Creeks are running, and low-lying areas are wet. Lake ice is black and candling, and the strong winds overnight and this morning have pushed the ice pack around, and there is a fair bit of open water. Lake level has risen 6” since the ice first pulled away from shore, but the rate of rising has slowed.  May showers would be welcome to help with early growth. Loons have returned.