Slow-walking spring

 

Weeping Crab Apple

Spring-like weather has been teasing us for a couple of weeks now, but this morning I woke up to 29F, so she's in no hurry. My weeping crab apple (left), on the other hand, is ready to seize the moment. Any moment. I have great sympathy with this enthusiasm. I was "that kid" who ran into the swimming pool without testing the water temperature first. Smile. And that's the least of it.

Cornus kousa 'Greensleeves' (Olivia)

Most plants, though, are more circumspect. The Dawn Redwood has poked a few leaf tips out, but is on hold right now. The Linden and our Cornus Kousa 'Greensleeves" likewise. Let's not be hasty. Apple buds are swelling, but not ready to commit. The Peach has decided to hold off completely. For the time being. The raspberries, of course, are pushing hard, but they can tolerate some cold-ish weather, so they're not necessarily unwise to do so.

Scylla

The Scylla litter the lawn and bedding floor like so much high-class confetti. But the Daffodils are quite slow this year. Surprising really.

And the old-fashioned Bleeding Hearts are giving it a go. They seem to be right on time.

Daffodils almost in bloom

Bleeding Hearts

Nature's own totem

Climate Change has been much on my mind here lately. We're still cleaning up the mess that the winter rains and wind (not snows. . .imagine that in Maine) wreaked on our trails. 

Our recent Earth Day event had a hopeful ring to it. . .children were involved. . .and we had the community involved in making a huge roll-up mural (called a Cranky) to the inspiration of a poem written by one of our members. The title is How Humans Saved the Earth. After they messed it up, of course, but let's invite people to solutions, not despair. The caveat to that optimism, of course, is what Jamie Tartt warned . . . It's the Hope that kills you.

Oh No! I can't end with that. On other fronts our lives continue on. Trouble shooting kiln problems, painting our house, planning for medical what-not. The stuff of everyday life.

And of course, walking with Jasper. John snapped this image of a tree still standing. It seems like a statement to me, but I'll let you decide.

 

 

 

And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, back from the warm, into the snow. . .

 

Unexpected Easter Eggs

We came back from our vacation to the Outer Banks, in North Carolina, last week. There was the usual scramble to catch up on all things house and volunteer (still scrambling), and then it was Easter just 2 days ago. 

We usually go out for Easter dinner. . .a holdover from when we had kids, dogs, house repair, the whole catastrophe, and I wasn't up to cooking another holiday feast. But I didn't think to make any reservations, and John and I were a little overindulged during the trip. So he made dinner, I made dessert, and on a whim, decided to dye a few eggs for the nostalgia of it. Are these beautiful or what? I had some PAAS Easter Egg dye from years ago, and thought I'd use that sucker up. The eggs I dyed happened to be brown. I Could Not Believe how beautiful these cheesy dyes presented on the brown eggs. I almost didn't want to use them. But we did. Egg salad and Creamed Eggs on toast. Some humble food for our tired-of-fancy-food bodies.

Daffodils in March

The trip South delivered the desired soil and blooms as we slowly made our way to the Outer Banks. Daffodils were in full bloom in Lansdale, PA. as Jasper photo-bombed this picture. 

We also visited Assateague Island, where the ponies are much more abundant (and unafraid) than they were when I visited there as a kid. It was actually a little disturbing. Islands are limited ecosystems, and apparently they have to herd them back across the causeway when they wander over to the mainland. Is this a sustainable system? 

I have a very fond memory of vacationing on Chincoteague Island as a child. My father knew I was a serious Misty of Chincoteague fan (a book by Marguerite Henry), and asked around to see if we might be able to see the pony in person. It was a sort of "no big deal" thing, but as I look back on it, it was extraordinarily sweet. We followed very Local directions (turn right at the big white barn kind of stuff), found a very unimposing house and barn, and a young man who either worked or lived there took us out to the stable where Misty lived. 

Ponies on Assateague

 I was thrilled (evidence in the photo), Dad, a serious amateur photographer, snapped a few images, and we went back to fishing. I can't imagine something like that happening today on so many levels. It's a very sweet memory, and I appreciate the fact that my Dad recorded it.

Misty, Me, and a Boy

 

 

 

But back to the trip. Unlike my Dad, I am terrible at taking photos when I'm on a trip. I chalk it up to being too much in the moment to record it, but it could be that I'm just lazy. Or not interested in playing that role? Don't know.

But! We made our way down to the Outer Banks, settled in to our VRBO, and waiting for our friends to come. They also have a dog, so hiking was the thing. Yay! I was really fascinated by the Maritime forests on the island. The eco system is so not Maine. The Bald Cypress are particularly cool trees, and of course I took not ONE picture of them. So I've stolen one from Captain Mitch's Airboat Tours. We learned about these trees in horticulture classes because of the unique mechanism they use to tolerate living in the water. The "knees" they form allow them to absorb oxygen for their physiological processes. Most trees die quickly when submerged.

Bald Cypress from www.captainmitchs.com

 We wandered around the swampy land, seeing tons of turtles, eagles, lots of birds, and very tall Loblolly pines. We also, of course, walked along the beach, which was just a couple of blocks from our residence. The first day, we saw dolphins in the not-to-far distance, and ranks and files of pelicans were common.

Finally, we came home to not only Easter, but the aftermath of a terrible spring storm. We had snow piled up on our front door entrance (4-5 feet tall), and our local trails, once again, suffered badly with downed trees. 

Down Trees in Waterville Maine

So that's the plan for the next few weeks: clean up the trails. 

Caveat: We have a strong northeaster coming in tomorrow night that is predicted to dump 12-18" of snow on us. What a climate-changing world. But as Paul Simon said "Gee it's great to be back home. . ."