Before the Storm

Before the storm,
we walked near the creek
Getting our toes wet
And our lungs full of
fresh air, swamp musk,
and the gossamer scent of violets.

Every fallen tree
A bridge to beauty.

Where ever you are, whatever The weather, I wish you beauty and a sense of belonging.

Ridge Song

Mabel and I took a hike along the ridge this evening as the sun slid down the western sky. We sat on a soft fall of earth, in a fine and perfect place.

The sharp cry of a sandhill crane punctuated the evening air. After a quiet interlude, an intermission in the ridge song, a bird whose voice I did not recognize, sang a sweet lingering note.

We took the steep slope to the moss trail along the cedar swamp. The light was filtered and dreamy amid the ferns.

With quiet steps, we slowed our pace. As we left the woods, we saw the moon against the still blue sky, caught in the branches of the maple tree where crows keep watch over the fields.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

Really, April? Really?

Nesting

Seeds are started in our sunny southern windows, green and stretching toward the sun, but the branches outside the window are still bare.

As we walk our woodland trails, we see so much of last Autumn lingering.

With snow in the forecast, we are holding tight,

Sitting still, 

Waiting to hatch.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you joy.

Wordless Wednesday - Woodland Choir

Meet Mabel

We recently adopted a senior dog whose owner had passed away. She is loving her life on the farm, and I am thrilled to have a friend who is as excited about a walk in the woods as I am.

A Pause

Spring, the sunrise of the year,
Is spilling softly through April
With blue skies yesterday
and snow today.

Ice drips from bare branches
And green shoots peek up through
Cold earth and a whisper-thin layer of snow.

We pause.

Listening to the earth,
Learning from the season,
We pause.