after months of complaining about our historically awful winter, here i am getting all sentimental about saying goodbye to these spare elemental images. i know. i know. part of me is so over seeing the same bare branches and twigs on my daily walk. but the curtain of green that’s coming will be as overwhelming and as familiar soon enough. and when all is said and done, i love the creativity that comes from winter’s forced austerity. my stripped-down winter images in browns and grays are among my personal favorites. pinterest has made it clear that most people respond to brightness and color. so, yes, give me citrus slices, magnolia buds, and crocuses erupting from wet soil. but don’t forget sometimes to give me a single, erect stalk, and a folded umbrella of battered leaves.

late winter leaf

saint paul, minnesota