we have had a number of recent rains. a lightning storm that cancelled an evening soccer practice. a nighttime rain that watered our newly planted herbs as we slept. and, everywhere that northern catalpas grow, a rain of white blossoms whose intricate beauty seems as if it should be impossible on such a massive scale. but each one of those carpets of fallen blossoms looks like the four flowers above. i swear.

northern catalpa tree blossoms

tanglewood drive, shoreview, minnesota

i long ago recognized that a little adversity in childhood often leads to great success in adulthood. there is a recent stanford univeristy study that has referred to this characteristic of success as “grit”. well, this branch has grit.  it has clearly suffered some adversity. and it kept on going. and of all the branches, on all my walks, this is the one that caught my attention.

twisted oak limb

grass lake, minnesota

i wanted this to be about borders, or transitions, or negative space, or corridors, or striving, or something a little bit fancy and artistic, but after watching a recent documentary about local native son f. scott fitsgerald, all i can see in this photo is his somewhat sad, very fashionable and crisp, 1920s center part. i’m not proud of this. he wrote the great american novel, for crying out loud, and here i am remembering the man for the way he combed his hair.

twigs arranged

saint paul, minnesota

is this the calligraphy quill? or is this the line it drew?

canada goose feather–edge veiw

saint paul, minnesota

the first delivery of our csa farm share arrived last week. my hubby just took a hog butchering class and the results are in the freezer. the chickens are laying. the bees are making honey. and it’s strawberry season. it has been less than three months since april 1, when there was still a little bit of snow on the ground in the shadows and on north facing slopes.

mid-june strawberries

saint paul, minnesota