hungry for color

my husband’s writing coach used to email him, when she was waiting for new work, saying “hungry for pages.” after three days of gray skies and rain. i was hungry for color. so i made my own today. please do not ask me, as my husband’s coach asked him, “what the fuck are you trying to say?”

woven yucca leaves (Dracaena Marginata)

hug a tree

two days of rain in april is all it takes. like the starting gun of a race, all the trees burst simultaneously. they’ve got a lot to do between now and late october–converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, and sequestering that carbon in their fibers. in one year a mature tree will absorb more than 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen in exchange. one large tree can provide a day’s supply of oxygen for up to four people. i spend a lot of time thanking them. hug a tree today. figuratively. or literally.

spring buds and branch tips

oh, hey…so nice to see you again!

every year i forget about these little guys. which means that every year i am absolutely delighted when they emerge in early spring, before everything else, and add that first pop of color to our otherwise brown landscape.

siberian blue scilla

almost evergreen

the cedar tree beside my home recently dropped a huge pile of its branch tips. it carpeted the late march snow in in such a beguiling way, that i lingered over it every time i went in or out of the house. when the snow melted, the carpet remained over the damp brown soil. i have tried to recreate the effect here. i have never really noticed my cedars doing this in other years. i don’t know what brought it on. but it feels similar to when the oak trees mast in the late fall, letting down their acorns all at once. in any case, this photo is seasonal, but i feel as if i could sprinkle a handful of red berries on it, and it would make for a terrific holiday wallpaper.

cedar evergreen tips

april rains

i spent the day today racing against a forecast of two days of soaking rains. i recently bought 2000 square feet of shady woodland wildflower seeds, and i was determined to get them planted before the rain came. it’s just so easy to click “buy now” in march, when the ground is still covered with snow. it’s an entirely different thing to clear and prepare 1000 square feet of woodland soil that hasn’t been cleared in 30 years. yowza. i’m a little tired now…

collection of april buds