An early spring morning with hyacinth and coffee is such a lovely gift.
Tag Archives: Spring
The Roses of Lent
“Delectable”, “luscious” are used to describe Lenten Roses in Seeing Flowers by Teri Dunn Chace with photography by Robert Llewellyn. Exquisitely complex comes to me.
Nourished in shade and deep composting tree litter, they are shy blooms rarely lifting their heads to gaze back at you. 
To see their beauty requires determination and the humility to bend low or even kneel in the woodsy damp round them. 
I’m sitting in the coffee shop surrounded by human bloomings and thinking about the passing of time and people and how difficult it can be to see the exquisite beauty of each person. How difficult it can be to lift my own head to look into the eyes of others. In the Book of Malachi, these lovely words are found, “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;” 
I think about how hard it can be to lift my face to the Sun of righteousness Who has healing in His wings so that I might then serve others with humility.
The journey is a grand adventure, The reward to see exquisitely complex beauty is before me.
Do you find it easy to find the amazing beauty in others? I know I have often walked by without even noticing.
March into battle
After the Williamsburg and Smithfield delights, we returned to winter white. While I waited for the melt I gave into the lure of catalogs. Not that I planned to garden this year, but the ground is calling me.
Through the light snow loom piles of brush waiting for me and then our best tree guys to get things in order but I thought it might not hurt to look… and a couple of days later, the sun was warming and signs of spring beckoned to me.
And I found that the bambi-ites having wrecked havoc on azaleas, rhododendron and blueberries this winter, now march through the garden just outside the kitchen door and drink the birdbath dry. (My most creative efforts to keep them from the bird feeder failed.) They had eaten tiny shoots of new growth daylilies and tried out the iris leaves. There was quite a mess from stomping about. You may not be able to tell, but this is deer print.
Out came the jug of “go away bambi-ites“; battle has been engaged with the sprayer.
That said, the last days of March were glorious making the yard clean-up rather joyous. My chore list for the house gathered more dust as I worked through the hours picking up sticks, stacking wood, raking debris and enjoying signs of new life. I hope spring has shown up in your neighborhood!
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Spring searching in Virginia
I have a family member who hates to talk about the weather. Certainly it is a boring topic this year. Snow, wintry mix, ice, freezing rain, wind, rain… March continues roaring about but spring is beating in the heart of the earth. We were blessed to go to Williamsburg last week. One of our favorite small places there is the Botanical Gardens. We roamed and sat in warmth for hours, listening.
One day, we took the ferry from Jamestown to the lovely town of Smithfield. The other month Cathy at Morning Musings wrote about bronze sculptures. This is my sole attempt to follow her lead – hubby and George Washington.
In her post last Monday, she quoted Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, so this one is for Cathy. The sculptor, George Lundeen, portrays the author writing that very poem.
There are seven stops to view these marvelous works. All are historical figures except one.
This is “The Valentine Couple”. 
So sweet. You can click on the photos to enlarge them and see the amazing detail.
It is cold here at home and of course the forecast is for snow tomorrow. I’m listening, I know the earth is sheltering buds and blooms and green. For now, I’ll enjoy the memory of these Lenten Roses.
March observations
In a futile attempt to keep the deer from lapping all the seed from the feeder, I had poked stakes in the ground to hold some fencing. I should have known they would just trample it and walk in at snack time. I pull it back up as much as possible and we repeat. The lingering snow has made it easy to see the birds. A murmuration came through and introduced a pair of Rufous-sided towhees to the feeder. Such beautiful birds!
There is a warming trend which is allowing a slow melt and the snowdrops are coming into view.
And a few hours later, the melt softens the icy white and I can begin gathering great piles of pine and maple brush from the lawn. As I commented to a passing motorist while shoveling the other week, 2014 is providing great opportunity for fresh air and exercise. It is also drawing me to search for beauty unfolding.
Earth dreaming
The Snow Moon will shine tonight. 
Whether or not we will see it or just more falling snow is still unknown. There was much snow this week; much more than I cared to shovel. But shovel we do. Dig out the heat pump and shovel a path to the bird feeders. Then there is the driveway to consider. Normally we don’t consider it too much any more; Joe plows for us. Except when his rig breaks down, like it did yesterday morning leaving us with 14 inches or so to contemplate today. So we shoveled and chopped ice and made phone calls and repeated the process. Then the phone rang and our new neighbor offered to come with his tractor. Such blessed relief!
Today I learned the proverb, “St Valentine brings the keys of roots.” Within it is the thought that this is the day when plants start growing. Last week I noticed a slight swelling of the magnolia buds and I found this… 
a snowdrop! It is now blanketed with deep snow but its bravery was a sign of the earth dreaming Spring!
The last day of winter
At least by the calendar it is the last day. Last evening was full of icy sleet, today the sun shines with the promise of spring in bloom if one but looks around. I hope there is spring in today where you are!
Spring is sooner recognized by plants than by men. Chinese Proverb
Coming to ends
For at least a week, I would wake and think it must be February 28. It finally is! After a month of gloomy winter, yesterday and today have had sun and I was happy to go in search of spring coming. I was not disappointed.
I have known for a while that the blogging platform I use would come to an end of itself and now notice has been served. Please wish me well as I move my work to another service. My on-line address will remain the same.
Like a magic trick!
I find it quite difficult to capture birds at the feeders on film. But I couldn’t resist trying to hold onto my surprise. The goldfinches stay all winter but the feathers are like olive drab uniforms as they stay undercover. Then the suddenly happens – and there he is in splendid color! So much wonder happens in spring. I want to clap and shout, “Bravo!”