- If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
Anne Bradstreet--Meditations Divine and Moral
In the Northwest, good weather is something we never take for granted. It's mercurial at best, and gray skies are often the only constant. So spring 2012 has been a true gift with its mild temperatures, clear skies and bountiful flowers.
Sometimes one has to look no further than what is right in front of us to see the beauty that surrounds us daily. As I walked around our yard today, I realized that winter was becoming a distant memory. And while I appreciate each season for its unique gifts, I think the transition from winter to spring is exceptionally liberating. There's something freeing about exchanging its heavy layers for spring's more diaphanous ones.
Below are some spring images from my own yard.
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| One of the first signs of spring |
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| Our orchard |
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| The vegetable garden two weeks ago |
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| The vegetable garden today |
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Rhodies! Washington's State flower
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| Lilacs! My favorite sign of spring in the NW |
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| My side garden |
Our resurrected chicken coop
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| The ladies in waiting |
I am grateful for these longer, warmer days. I know they're unusual and that we may soon get the more typical "June Gloom." But for now, I'll savor the sun, the flowers, the blue skies and perfect temperatures.
Beautiful pictures, Robin! I'm so glad that you have been able to enjoy a gentle spring...Around here the fog has begun to envelop the Berkeley hills each afternoon and settle in until mid day, but those precious few hours of sun are so appreciated.
ReplyDeleteAfter a somewhat dark academic year for me where I have faced down a few "one eyed" monsters, not the least of which is a standardized assessment system that sucks the life out of many of my students, I offer this ee cummings poem as an antidote:
while you and I
have lips and voices
which are for kissing
and to sing with,
who cares if some
one-eyed son of a bitch
invents an instrument
to measure spring with?
Here's to kissing and singing! Happy spring! XO
Love the poem, Margaret! Thank you and happy spring to you!!
ReplyDeletex,o