now that’s interesting

you may recall that i have only two criteria for a STILL blog photo: beautiful or interesting. my long time followers will know that i usually favor beautiful. but every once in a while i see something i’ve not seen before, and although it is not beautiful, it is interesting enough earn a spot in the STILL pantheon.  this is a large, grapefruit-sized gall on an ash limb. out of curiosity i dragged my photo into google image search to see what google thought it might be. two search results came back, and neither of them was “gall”. the results were: 1)truffle (which you can kind of see), and 2) “Belle statue, Dogon Tellem, Mali | lot | Sotheby’s Art D’océan.” now that’s interesting. so interesting in fact, that i may have lost a half hour of my day learning about he Dogon-Tellem peoples of Mali in the 14th century and their carved wooden statues and their utterly fascinating cliff dwellings. you’ve been warned.

ash limb with large galls

essence

the souls of my magnolia blossoms have departed, leaving behind the loveliest little shrouds on my kitchen counter.

spent magnolia blossoms

tiny kitten paws

pussy willow are actually flowers. the soft coating of hairs acts as insulation to protect these early bloomers from cold temperatures. they are dotting our wetlands like crazy at the moment. we have an abundance of lakes and rivers here in minnesota, and thus many species of willow–from stout shrubby species that line our riverbanks and marshes to magnificent weeping willow trees that reach 50 feet in height. ever since we became beekeepers a few years ago, i have been exceedingly grateful for these early bloomers. they will soon be loaded with pollen and will provide important sustenance to our hard working hives which have thankfully survived yet another record setting winter.

pussy willow

spring pom poms

this is the best looking cheerleading squad i have ever seen. and those red pom poms are perfect. all we need is a marching band. go spring!

red maple blossoms

jumping ahead

i read a nytimes article recently about a designer who was from nyc, but had been living in miami for twenty years, and was now moving back to nyc.  when asked what was prompting the move, he said “the weather is always the same here. it is hard to mark the passing of time. i looked in them mirror one day and i had gotten old. but i couldn’t recall the years.” i knew exactly what he meant after living in california for graduate school. we have the opposite problem here in the north, and in minnesota in particular. our seasons are so distinct and the transitions so abrupt, that it can sometimes feel like an assault.we’ve actually seen 70 degree temperature changes in a single day. but, it also means that every year does indeed have four unambiguous seasons burned into our memories to help us keep track of the passing of time.  and now it appears we will be doing it yet again with this spring. our temps have been hovering in the 40’s. the buds are swollen but nowhere near ready to burst. but i am looking at the forecast, and i see we are headed into four consecutive  days in the 60’s. by tuesday, i predict we will be living in a fairy world of feathery red maple blossoms and tiny chartreuse leaves. until then, i’m jumping the gun with these store bought quince blossoms.

quince blossoms