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

distracted

i’ve been too distracted to keep the tulips watered and fed. it was a distraction of my own making. after fourteen years of living in our house, it took shelter-in-place to clear my schedule enough that i could finally clean up the maniacally invasive european buckthorn from our two acres of woods..  i’ve been quite happy out among the trees for several days–ignoring the news, working up a sweat, and pushing myself to the point of pleasant exhaustion. i recognize the behavior. they say your happiest moments as an adult are when you are doing things you dreamed about when you were in grade school. all i wanted to do then, too, was go play in the woods.

pink tulips