WHAT AMAZES ME...

It’s the beginning of spring. Leaves, the buds are popping out all over. We’ve been watching this rebirth phenomenon for the past week. Tiny little ends of twigs that come alive.

We’re lucky enough to have a bit of a forest close to the house. It amazes me how trees that look dead in winter suddenly spring to life.

This rebirth starts away down in the roots. Its sap first stirs down there and makes its way slowly up through the entire tree.

All on its own. Give it a day or two of warmer weather and you can almost see the leaves and buds growing before your eyes. Throw in a good drench of rain and the process speeds up.

Look out into the woods and all you see at first is a brown carpet of dead leaves.

Soon little green sprouts of stinging nettles and chickweed appear, along with poison ivy and dandelions, among others.

While most people do everything to get rid of the ‘nasty’ dandelions, they come alive with a wave of color on our lawns. I love them. We should embrace them, not kill them off.

What comes next is a profusion of shapes and colors and sizes. the daffodils, the crocus. The chick weed. Creeping myrtle. Spring has arrived in all its glory.

Author’s comment: Many who have lawns love them. Spend time nurturing them. I cut my father-in-law’s lawn once when he was away, thinking he’d be overjoyed. If he noticed at all. On his return he’d hardly stepped from the car when he bellowed, “Who the hell’s been ruining my lawn?” Oops.