New Year's Day

I noticed this morning, on this chilly and gray first day of 2014, that my primroses are blooming.  As I was slowly taking down the wreath and the greens decorating the back deck, it cheered me from my task to see the flowers bravely blooming.

I do not much like the cold, dark days of winter.  The older I grow the less I like the sullen skies and the damp cold that seems to settle in my bones.  The thought of spring and flowers and warm breezes makes me happy.

I look forward to seeing the blooms from all the bulbs I planted last fall.  The bright colors will make the rainy days and gloom of late winter and early spring in the Pacific Northwest bearable.  

Such Singing in the Wild Branches
It was spring
and I finally heard him
among the first leaves––
then I saw him clutching the limb
in an island of shade
with his red-brown feathers
all trim and neat for the new year.
First, I stood still
and thought of nothing.
Then I began to listen.
Then I was filled with gladness––
and that’s when it happened,
when I seemed to float,
to be, myself, a wing or a tree––
and I began to understand
what the bird was saying,
and the sands in the glass
stopped
for a pure white moment
while gravity sprinkled upward
like rain, rising,
and in fact
it became difficult to tell just what it was that was singing––
it was the thrush for sure, but it seemed
not a single thrush, but himself, and all his brothers,
and also the trees around them,
as well as the gliding, long-tailed clouds
in the perfect blue sky–––all of them
were singing.
And, of course, so it seemed,
so was I.
Such soft and solemn and perfect music doesn’t last
For more than a few moments.
It’s one of those magical places wise people
like to talk about.
One of the things they say about it, that is true,
is that, once you’ve been there,
you’re there forever.
Listen, everyone has a chance.
Is it spring, is it morning?
Are there trees near you,
and does your own soul need comforting?
Quick, then––open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song
may already be drifting away.
-Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver always cheers me, too.  I hope this first day of 2014 is a happy one for you.  I hope the promise of spring lifts your heart as it does mine.

Happy New Year.

Heralds of Spring

It's here.  Spring has arrived!  And perhaps best of all, we've had two (count 'em, two) days of sunshine in which to enjoy the blooming bulbs, shrubs and trees.

I have big pots on my deck and each year I plant them with daffodils and tulips.  The daffs are in their full glory right now and the tulips are preparing to take over in a week to ten days or so.  I love the exuberance of these reliable spring bloomers.

Grape hyacinths are another favorite of mine.  They are such a bright, happy blue.

This is the lone tulip that is blooming now.  Many more will follow.

One of the flowering cherry trees in the front yard is blooming now.  It's pretty, but the later bloomer is my favorite.  I don't know why, exactly, but is just seems more, somehow.

This gorgeous pot of primroses was a birthday gift from a dear friend.  It just keeps putting out flowers and color.

My hellebores are still going strong.  They are the first perennial in my garden to bloom each year, usually the second week in January.

And who can resist the vibrancy of flowering quince, made even more astounding by the flowers popping open on (mostly) bare wood stems.  I have a large quince in the mixed hedge that separates my front garden from the property to the west.  It always brightens up the whole front of the yard.

The bridal veil shrub is just beginning to flower.  Soon it will be a solid mass of these teeny tiny white five petaled stars.  It, too, is in the mixed hedge.  In full bloom it is a thing of wonder.

How is spring progressing at your house, Dear Reader?