A package arrived on my doorstep today, a big one. About six feet tall, but less than 12 inches wide, the box contained winter wishes come to life: alive, but dormant fruit trees. A couple of months ago, I ordered two apple trees, 2 elderberries, and one mulberry. Last week, I received notice that my … Continue reading Winter Wishes and Persephone’s Dreams
Nature
A Time of Beginnings
The only green in the woods is on the moss-covered stones or the occasional pine tree. Welcome to spring! We’re just seven days into the season and the daily changes in the garden are well under way. We’ve had a rollercoaster ride weather-wise this past week: warm days riding around with the car’s windows down, … Continue reading A Time of Beginnings
Thoughts on the Eve of Spring
Today is the last day of winter. The snow has melted, leaving only small patches here and there in the parts of the yard that spend their days in the shade. The witch hazel is a glorious yellow outside my window, its spidery flowers vibrant against the blue sky. Snowdrops and daffodils have emerged from … Continue reading Thoughts on the Eve of Spring
Welcome to Spring – Kind Of, Sort Of
The snow may be reluctant to leave, but it won't be long now. This past weekend, spring arrived on March 1st—meteorological spring, that is. Never heard of it? I’m not surprised if you haven’t. I didn’t know meteorological spring was a thing until a couple of years ago.While the dates of our traditional four seasons … Continue reading Welcome to Spring – Kind Of, Sort Of
Let the Melting Commence
Temperatures have become decidedly milder over the past couple of days. The ice-covered snow that’s been with us for nearly two weeks has finally begun to retreat. While I know this isn’t the last snowfall we’ll see this season, it feels good to see all that white stuff melting. Usually when we get a storm—anything from … Continue reading Let the Melting Commence
Frightful February
It’s been said that February is the cruelest month. I don’t know about that, but it sure is the month when winter makes itself most known around here. Like winter (the shortest season at 89 days), the year’s shortest month seems endlessly long. By the time February rolls around, the holidays and our collective dreams of … Continue reading Frightful February
Thundersnow and the Tricks Winter Plays
Up until a few years ago, I’d never heard of thundersnow. Electrical storms are common in the Berkshires in summer, particularly during the hot days of July and August. They’re often brief and violent with a heavy downpour of rain, gusting winds making even the tallest trees dance against the solemn gray sky, and a … Continue reading Thundersnow and the Tricks Winter Plays
An Alternate View of Snow
This weekend Mother Nature gifted us with snow. Not just a dusting or a few flurries, a storm that started in the afternoon and continued on through the night blanketing everything in about eight inches of white. Happily for me (though I hesitate to use that word where winter weather of any kind is concerned), … Continue reading An Alternate View of Snow
Pen, Paper, Plant 