a warm welcome home

i am still getting settled back in after being away for a week. i’ve received a warm welcome home–quite literally–with unseasonably warm weather in the 40s all week. the snow is melting and sounds of tinkling meltwater flood me with memories of my childhood and walking to the bus stop to that evocative sound every spring. so, while it may look like raindrops on those cedar tips, it is indeed melting snow. which reminds me, this is the time of year when cardinals turn a brilliant red in preparation for mating season in march. they achieve this heightened color when the dusty gray tips of their feathers on their necks and backs wear off revealing a much brighter red than we see in fall and winter. their crimson red against the dark green of the cedars is one of the first signs of spring.

cedar tips with melting snow