Among the Trees: Sunshine & Hope

Most of January was damp and cold.  We had a smidge of snow - enough to earn a snow day - but mostly we had endless grey skies and rain.  I find January is a bleak month anyway, what with its late sunrises and early sunsets, but add in gloomy grey skies and my growing hip discomfort and the month had little to recommend it.  February was less than 48 hours old when it delivered blue skies and sunshine.  Though the cold persisted - it’s still Winter - the sun was welcome.  It’s also true that our days are lengthening, with an extra minute of sunlight morning and night and that helps.  Normally, Winter walks sustain my soul but my temporary disability has robbed me of that comfort.  On Saturday, when I could sit out in the back deck and turn my face to the sunlight, for a still-chilly 30 minutes, I felt hopeful.  I’m two weeks away from surgery and I am so ready for the return of walks in the woods.  Until then, I've had some sunlight and it was glorious.

Among the Trees: A Celebration of May

Of all the months in New Jersey, May is by far the loveliest.  Trees have begun to leaf out and lawns are a lush, verdant green.  In my yard, some tulip flowers in the northern-facing flowerbeds are still standing tall, I have iris flowers, and the hosta leaves have begun to open.  Later in the month, there will be peonies and rhododendron flowers.   Daytime temperatures are often warm while the nighttime weather is perfect for sleeping.  In short, May is lovely. 

This year is no exception and we’ve had sunshine this week.  The blue skies and fluffy white clouds feel like they are here to feed my soul just when I most need two feel the light.

Amaryllis Tuesday: March 2

The second pod of flowers opened toward the end of last week and it’s delivered five pretty flowers.  These blooms, the steadily melting snow, the quickening pace of vaccines in the U.S., and some sunny days have lifted my spirits.  

That’s happy!

Tree Limbs & Blue Skies

One of the blessings of being home all day is that I have time to step out on the back deck when the sun is high and the sky is blue.  I’ve taken the time to appreciate the sunshine in my backyard and check out the bird life around our feeder.  We have two sets of cardinals that visit us and I caught a picture of one of them high in the branches of Old Man Tree on a sunny day.

On Saturday we had some sunshine and I made time to sit outside.  Even in the chill, it was nice.  Old Man Tree has turned his attention to making leaves and I’m looking forward to being outside more often as the days warm.  I’ll be out on the porch with a book before  before school, I plan lunch on the back deck.  But no matter where I am, Old Man Tree and the blue sky will be my companions.