NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Late spring is my favorite time of year in Brown County. The leaves on the trees and bushes are fresh with a green lushness you just don’ t see in the other seasons. The grass is so green it almost seems artificial. The temperature is just right and the bugs aren’ t quite bothersome yet so you can sit pleasantly on the porch and watch the birds while sipping your lemonade. The air smells like lilacs and honeysuckle.
This year’ s spring is the most welcome one I can remember. The silent, brutal winter dulled my senses. I was thrilled to finally hear the peepers calling and the birds singing again. I’ m even glad to hear all the barking dogs in our neighborhood. At last, there is life in the hills again.
You can see people working in their yards, gathering up all the winter debris, and making room for new growth. Mowers are escaping from winter storage to tidy up the newborn grass. It is time to go outside and experience why we live in the country. We can put away our cell phones and pick up a rake.
Visitors who are craving some outdoor life might be headed to Brown County to hike, enjoy a music festival, or take the back roads studio tour. The state park is the largest and most visited state park in Indiana and it is just as beautiful in its new spring green colors as in the autumn spectrum.
I’ m told if you look at Indiana from a satellite perspective, the largest, greenest spot is right here in Brown County. The birds and wildlife already know that. They don’ t require a device to tell them anything. There are so many birds in this county that you don’ t even need binoculars to watch them. A bald eagle flew in front of my car on my way to the grocery last week. It was so beautiful.
I plan on taking in as much of this Brown County green as possible. It doesn’ t get much better than this. •
— Cindy Steele
May / June 2014 • Our Brown County 13