Welcome Spring!
Despite some white stuff falling on our neighborhood on Thursday, the calendar and the sun tell us that Winter has finally loosened its grip on the Northeast. It is time for warmer, greener times.
Feeling a little bit of the spring fever today, with Mother Nature heating us up with a balmy 45F outside, I grabbed the rake to unveil some of the living things hiding beneath the autumn's pile of leaves.
In the corner by the porch sits my mahonia, a gift from my mother-in-law. Unlike the rest of the yard, it never truly loses all its color. Just turns dark purple in the cold of the winter. The sun isn't strong enough yet to bring out its glossy bright green leaves.
In front of it, in my flower bed that will vanish beneath a wave of weeds by late summer, sits a wealth of other living and green perennials--many of which came as gifts from both my Moms. Jonquils, pachysandra, daylilies and even the clematis were all eager to see the sun as I raked off the winter.
The baby maple trees haven't quite got their juices flowing yet. I ruthlessly yanked a forest of them out before they could.
And then finally in another bed I spied a flash of yellow:
I work and decide I am grateful for the Sun, the warmth, the hint of new life and the generosity of close relatives.
But perhaps most of all, I am thankful that when I was a little little girl, Mom handed me some hollyhock and carrot seeds and showed me the simple joy in touching the Earth.
What beautiful things we can all do when we work with the magic that is all around us.
