midwinter

I keep saying how it’s as if summer ended, Christmas came and now spring is here. I feel like I’ve been in a time warp. It’s been an extremely wet winter (record breaking) and I’ve been super focused on a lot of indoor projects, so that is part of it for sure, but it’s also been a very strange and very warm season here. Our rhododendrons put out blooms in late fall/early winter. We had late summer flowers that tried for round 2 but never quite made it to full bloom, yet still remain in some kind of perpetual state of trying. Fruit trees are already starting to flower and we’ve spent a couple days this week out gardening in shorts and tees. Over 70 degrees. In February! I do love this warm weather, but it makes me a little uncomfortable at the same time.

I feel like I’m ahead on garden clean-up this year… (even though I’m actually just way behind as usual… early fall might be better!). This time of year is wonderful for weeding and clean-up though. The soil is so fluffy and loose and easy to work.

This mason bee house has a few occupants. It gives me a simple sense of peace to know that there is life in there, waiting for the right time to emerge.

Collards, which were so puny in our hot summer, are coming into their own right now. A beautiful flower of a different sort.

The frogs in our arm of the lake have been singing us to sleep again this week. They are the sound of spring to me. The red winged blackbirds have become vocal again. Bumblebees are appearing, flies are suddenly back, and even mosquitoes.

I’d love to know, what’s showing up for you right now? In a world that seems to be changing so much and so fast, it’s a comfort for me to slow down, really observe, and take in the things that can too easily pass by as subtleties.