Meadow Anemone

Meadow Anemone

I've had my eye on this Pasque Flower all spring. Maggie planted it a few years ago just at the bottom of our front steps, so it's kind of hard to miss, especially on the mornings when I'm sitting right next to it, waiting for my ride to work.

It originally bloomed at Easter, and since then has made an amazing transformation into something that looks more like it belongs underwater than at the edge of our front lawn.

~ Hal

The Secret Life of Plants

The Secret Life of Plants

Today I asked the boys to move a couple of woodpiles from one 

place to another. During the explaining I noticed a few ferns poking 

up next to the outdoor spigot.

In the evening, while the rice for dinner was cooking and the sun 

began to set, I grabbed my camera and went outside to take photos 

of the blossoms on our apple tree, which is now in full flower.

Thinking of the ferns for a moment, I glanced at them and was 

disappointed to see they were already in the shade. I got down 

on my stomach and took a couple of shots anyway, then moved 

over to the apple tree before the rest of the light faded.

I had no idea at the time what those ferns were really up to.

~ Hal

Spring Green

Spring Green

The first leaves are beginning to unfurl, and from a distance the 

wooded hillsides seem to gently promise that spring is truly here.

Maggie and I were talking about it and she told me that as a child, 

whenever she got a new box of colored pencils she immediately 

looked for "spring green," her favorite color.

I went looking for some way to bottle a little bit of this green 

magic and found a willow tree down the block, swaying with 

the breezes.

~ Hal