Rebirth

Springtime! Color returns to the landscape: "peachy" leaf buds, magenta redbuds trees, yellow forsythia, the white and pink of flowering ornamentals, with a light dusting of the delicate green of baby leaves settled on the hillsides, a darker green brimming the lawns and pastures. And it's just begun. The blades of the bulbs are up, but I haven't seen any blossoms yet. I'll probably see my first tommorrow.

It's not that there's no color to winter, it's that the color is so muted and somber. Winter has its own stark beauty, not even counting the snow clad wonderland. I surprised myself by being nostalgic for it even before it was gone. It was last week, or the week before. I was coming back from the quarry with a load of limestone on and as I rounded a curve the the bare branches of some red stemmed shrub were set against ocher fields. "This won't last much longer," I found myself saying. Not that I'll truly miss it, but at least the moment was appreciated.

There are some things I will miss about the winter landscape. The vistas across our karst topography here, our "Little Smokies," soon to be hidden by leaves. Along the same vein but more practical I'll definitely miss being able to see what's coming ahead around curves on these windy country lanes I have to drive with my big truck. I don't think I ever miss the beauty of the snow or its crunch underfoot, there's too much else filling my senses in the Spring, Summer and Autumn, but I do enjoy it when it's here (and hate it too, let me be clear).

Anyway, Happy Spring Everyone!