swollen
while i have not seen anyone tapping their maple trees yet, i know the sap is running because the buds are big and fat. ready to pop. any….day…..now….
song of spring
most folks probably associate the sound of spring with the return of song birds calling out for mates and territory. but my spring soundtrack is the trill of northern chorus frogs and spring peepers. as soon as the snow melts,l the vernal pods swell, and ground thaws, the frogs start their whole-hearted call for mates. the sound is described as similar to running your thumb over a comb. i heard my first frogs of the season last week. while it’s too cool yet to enjoy our deck overlooking the lake, i am sure the frogs have not been wasting any time. i eagerly await my nightly serenade.
gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor)
holding on tight
some ties are stronger than others.
wild grape vine tendrils
on the road
my son has two weeks to pick the college he will attend this fall. the choice is not obvious at all–so we (he and i) are spending the next 10 days making quick visits to several campuses. we just got home from the east coast, and are heading west this week. new york was in full bloom while we were there–a full two weeks ahead of us here in minnesota. and my daughter has reported that recent rains in california have greened up their spring as well. i fear i will miss our great awakening while i am traveling this week. it’s a shame, because when we have a late spring like this, it’s as though the whole place blossoms and greens all at once–a spectacular overnight show. i pinched these little golden seed heads from a landscape plant on vassar campus. their tiny five-point casings were catching the afternoon light and looked like a constellation of golden stars.
the things we do
i look at these spruce cones and wonder at the patience and dexterity of the squirrels who have been nibbling on them. all that effort, chewing through the woody scales, just to get to those small nutritious seeds. i suppose we humans do the same thing, delicately picking the shells off of tiny crayfish or shrimp just for one small bite of sweet tail meat. or effortfully shucking oysters for one fleeting gulp of briny goodness. we say it’s worth it. i am sure the squirrels do too.
squirrel eaten norway spruce cones with winged seeds
Tapping is over with down here.
Your website and your art work are FASCINATING! I love the complexity hiding within the simplicity. These are beautiful. I’m very glad PPA emailed the article on your work. I have bookmarked it and will return regularly. Thank you for your vision and your art (and your family, too, for their assistance in your endeavors).