Advice from a small town girl

They say it’s always darkest before the dawn.

Mind you, I don’t know who “they” are, and I don’t really care.

But I’ve been thinking lately, mostly as I’m driving to work in the morning, that it’s always ugliest before the spring.

Every year since moving here, I count calves as I drive down the hill west of town. One day there will be one or two, then suddenly there are tens and twenties. This morning, there was a brand-new calf right next to the roadside fence. Mother was resting, and baby hadn’t even been licked clean yet. It’s a sight that always gives me hope. Spring is on its way.

Then th...