happy bub burst day!

okay, okay, i know all you readers are scattered all over the world, and bud burst day may not be at all appropriate for your right now (especially you in the southern hemisphere). but it is a big, BIG, deal hear in the north. winter is five months long in this part of the world, and by months four and five, we all get a little desperate*.  like the cottontail rabbit that peaks out from under our deck once a day in march to nibble at the spruce tips, we will do almost anything for a little green. rain is forecast for tonight, so by the weekend we should start seeing bud bursts everywhere. and our world with be new-growth green for several weeks. ahhhh…..i love it.

* you may wonder why we minnesotans choose to live here, even though we complain about the weather a lot. first, you must understand that weather here is front and center. it dominates our daily life. today, for example, was 82 degrees F, tomorrow will be in the 50s. this is not unusual for us. so, weather is what we talk about. all the time. it’s part of the culture. every plan outdoors has to consider the weather. i check the weather at least three times a day, and this is not because i am compulsive. it’s necessary if you plan on being outside for any part of the day. wather here can change hourly. sounds strange, i am sure. but, there are a lot of reasons other than weather, that draw us to this great state: family ties, good schools, kind neighbors, a state government that works, clean air, fresh water, lake living, affordable housing, a strong economy…in other words, most the things you might want, you can find in minnesota. and the price we pay for all that abundance, is two extra months of winter. for most of us, it is a good bargain. for those who can afford it, a winter home in a warmer climate is the best of both worlds. nothing is free, and march is our price.

in the nick of time

while i waited for the ice to melt on my ¼ mile long gravel driveway so i could safely get up to the street without risking a nasty fall, i almost missed catkins season. catkin season is one of my favorite micro-seasons. that short window in spring before the trees leaf out, when several varieties of trees flower, and release pollen, in the form of dangling inflorescences that look like tassels. Trees that put out catkins include: birch, willow, aspen, hickory, sweet chestnut, alder, mulberry, poplar, cottonwood, hazel, and oak. while you are out walking around this week, look up–it’s a party!

p.s. the word catkin is a loanword from the Middle Dutch katteken, meaning “kitten”

poplar catkins in april

tax season, pussy willows, white throated sparrows, and ice out

what marks the beginning of spring for you? i am sure there is something very specific that signifies that spring is here in your neighborhood–daffodils? magnolias blossoms? in our corner of the world it is pussy willow. unless you live on a lake, then it is red winged blackbirds or ice out, or if you are my husband it is the end of tax season which runs neck and neck with the arrival of white throated sparrows. or if you are me, who walked up a hill every day to catch the school bus as a kid, it the sound of tinkling melt water. in southern france it was almond blossoms. my point is, no matter where you live, there is something very specific to you that marks the arrival of spring. i’d love to hear from you what that is?  please share. the arrival of spring after the darkness of winter is…in the end…both personal and universal.

pussy willow in april

well, well, well…look who’s here

it took longer than usual. but spring has finally arrived in the north. first up….everyone’s favorite…pussy willow.

pussy willow

vacation and travel

i opened a ziploc bag of long forgotten treasures today, and was immediately transported to the endless beaches of florida’s gulf coast. long before we started traveling back and forth to southern france, we used to vacation every april on north captiva island in florida (near sanibel). our kids were quite little then, but it is still some of their favorite memories. france for them was formative, and challenging, and sometimes fun. but florida…florida was easy. fun and easy. we tried to explain the difference to our kids between travel and vacation.  florida was vacation, and france was travel. the objectives were different. but they were 6 and 12. they didn’t care about objectives.

bits and pieces from florida