Month of March 2026

I am thankful March 2026 was much different than March 2025, when I was in the hospital for a blood clot in my kidney. I’m doing fine now, and I reflected more on that in my birthday post.

March started with some fly tying and catching my first trout of the season with snow on the ground.

Casting Out Winter

March ended with a backyard spring break art party so warm that a few people were wearing shorts.

My weather station recorded a low of 15.4°F on 3/2/26 and a high of 81.7°F on 3/10/26. Wild month weather-wise.

Some March highlights:

I’m glad to see the natural world waking up again. Crocuses, bluebells, daffodils, and forsythias all blooming. Trees budding out. Spring peepers and green frogs. Charlie and I saw a snapping turtle and a snake by the pond this week.

We’ve spent a lot of time outside this month. Lots of bike rides, swinging, and cooking in the mud kitchen after school, woods walks, planting grass seed, and tromping around in water. It is good to be outside.

Charlie and I had lunch one day at the train station.

My friend Tyler texted that he built a swing set for his son. I get such a kick out of people building these.

I got to hang out with some friends at a recording studio while they jammed for Jeremy’s birthday. I’m not a musician, but it was cool to chill and listen to them.

I drove over to Boiceville in the Catskills to listen to Ed Ostapczuk’s presentation on identifying unique heritage brook trout strains at the Ashokan-Pepacton TU chapter meeting. I was excited to meet Ed after reading his writing, and I appreciated the conversations I had with many of the chapter members.

Charlie’s class made a little village and we got to go see it.

Mom and Dad came to visit. Dad taught me how to replace copper plumbing with Pex and helped me replace our shower hardware and valves. We also walked around Beacon. They also helped with the trout release.

While they visited, they hung out with Charlie one evening so Amanda and I could go on a date. It was excellent, and the company was so good I forgot to take a photo.

We had a tea party.

The rhubarb forcing is going well.

I ended the month by tying some synthetic polyester fur Clouser minnows. I want to get out and fish for striped bass soon!

Charlie ended the month by climbing our hydrangea, which he calls “the tumbleweed tree.”