a varied diet

i found this collection of gnawed black walnuts on a single tour of my backyard. i was looking for the earliest green buds and sprouts i could find in this strange spring of ours, and instead what i found on almost every stump was yet another black walnut, either gnawed painfully open through sheer willpower, or cracked in half and offering its meat without resistance. squirrels are a bit of a nemesis around here, because of their incredible ability to find and raid birdfeeders. but i found myself admiring their persistence, as i came across their table scraps.  i began to understand how long the winter must have been for them, subsisting on the varied diet of black walnuts, followed by black walnuts, followed by black walnuts.

squirrel eaten black walnut shells (Juglans nigra)

slowdowns and startups

the economy, and to some extent life itself, has slowed down lately, but nature around here is just starting up. willow catkins, aka pussy willow, are some of the first important food sources for our two hives of overwintering and hungry bees. all those yellow dots are pollen, which is pure protein for our girls. bon appétit mes chéries!

pussy willow with male pollen (Salix discolor)

cypress-like

we have a full house here. there are only five of us, but this is a not-so-big house so it feels full. for the past three-plus weeks there has been a lot of hustle and bustle. lots of cooking. lots of creative projects. lots of evenings around the fire. but since monday, the three students are back online all day doing distance learning, and steve is in his office all day and all evening finishing up his tax season. so…this is all a long way of saying that today is the first day i have felt any kind of real ennui. today i longed for my female friends–a walk with my bestie, or a coffee with an old friend from high school, or lunch with a creative colleague. i’m not unhappy about this new sensation of boredom. to the contrary, i am excited. normally, i would go do these things; walk, coffee, or lunch. i am curious to see to see what i do with these urges instead.

eucalyptus leaves

alone together

one world.

star anise

in-between

i’ve written in the past about my love for in-between things. especially the seasons in between the seasons. the branches in between budding and leafing. fall leaves caught in between dying and decaying. and these patterns, which occupy a position somewhere between strict geometry and a frail human sketch.

red osier dogwood twigs