Easing winter’s doldrums

Last night while we slept, the plants in our bulb garden we busy. This morning we enjoyed the first bloom, a jonquil-daffodil-narcissus. After our extended cloudy, dreary, rainy spell, it was a delightful surprise.

bulb planter jonquil brightens winter

Photo by J. Harrington

Mid-morning we headed off to get the windshield in our Jeep replaced. It cracked almost all the way across during the brutally cold spell a month ago. Our first appointment to get the work done earlier this month was preempted by one of the snow storms. This has been a royal pain in the patoot winter so far. At least with all the cloud cover I wasn’t getting blinded and distracted by the sun reflecting off the windshield crack. More snow is in the forecast for tonight  and tomorrow. Current estimates for our area are 3+ inches. We’ll see if more work will be needed on the driveway this week. It will depend on whether I can wheel the trash can through the freshly fallen snow. Then we’re back to single digit highs a week from now.

The Better Half has been brightening the place with cut flowers, including some scarletish tulips, but that’s not the same as a living, breathing plant in bloom. If things don’t get much  worse, we may well make it until spring and then we get to enjoy the new plantings that went in last autumn, unless the pocket gophers or moles get them. 😉

The Promise

By Jane Hirshfield

Stay, I said

to the cut flowers.

They bowed

their heads lower.

Stay, I said to the spider,

who fled.

Stay, leaf.

It reddened,

embarrassed for me and itself.

Stay, I said to my body.

It sat as a dog does,

obedient for a moment,

soon starting to tremble.

Stay, to the earth

of riverine valley meadows,

of fossiled escarpments,

of limestone and sandstone.

It looked back

with a changing expression, in silence.

Stay, I said to my loves.

Each answered,

Always.

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