Moveable Feast

Day 149: I did not know today was a holiday until I went for a walk on Eatonville's Bud Blancher Trail. You see, the First Day of Skunk Cabbage falls under the category of "moveable feasts," annual events which do not occur on the same day every year. It follows no preordained cycle; it simply happens when it happens, and may occur on a different date for you than it does for me. In any case, it is one of the major festivals of my personal calendar, even when it takes me by surprise.

With the Pacific Northwest's exceptionally warm winter, I've been watching for Skunks since late February even though I've never seen them earlier than the second week of March. Usually, they show up between the 14th and 21st in their customary locations. In fact, I haven't seen any in the usual spots yet, only two tucked away beside the trail where a small and rapidly diminishing stream trickles down from Pack Forest. It doesn't matter. Even one is enough to declare the official First Day of Skunk Cabbage can be celebrated!