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

Maple Blossom Special

 

Maple Blossom Special

Word from the sugarbush is that the sap has stopped running. 

Friends who have been boiling syrup for the past month or 

so are emerging from the woods with smoky clothes and 

sticky fingers.

Here in town the hard maples are blooming. From a distance 

the flowers don't look like much, nothing more than little fuzzy 

blobs at the end of a dry twig. Most of the branches are so high 

up that you don't often get a chance to see one in detail.

On Sunday I had the bright idea to drag the tall ladder out of 

the garage and get up close and personal with the maple tree in 

our front yard. I was surprised to see how beautiful and colorful 

these flowers really are.

~ Hal

 

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

This year it seems like spring has been taking forever to arrive.

Maggie and I went out with friends to hear Chris Silver and

Tommy Bentz play on Saturday, and when we came out of the

show, it was snowing (again).

Yes, the snow laden trees were beautiful the next morning, and

I did take some nice photos, but I have been dying to see some

sign of new life. Thankfully, the snow had melted by noon and

despite a stiff wind, the sun was out to cheer us up.

Later in the afternoon, after finishing up some chores, I walked

home through the alley and ran across these little daffodil tips

poking out of the leaves in our neighbor Marcia's garden.

Hallelujah!

~ Hal

Spring Break

Spring Break

This past week, while Maggie headed down to the Quad Cities to help her Dad with his back surgery, I took the children up north to the Lardner family cabin for some spring skiing.

"The melt" was on, and we had a couple of wonderfully sunny days on the slopes. On the first day, I skied with the kids, on day two they left me behind for their own fun and adventure.

On returning back to the cabin, I took the dog for a walk in the late afternoon sun. It was then I came across these seeds in orbit, on the verge of escaping the gravitational pull of their pods.

~ Hal

Winter Fishing

Winter Fishing

This Saturday was the winter trout (catch and release) fly-fishing

opener. A small group of us showed up at Chris's house with our

gear, hoping for the best.

Joe and Ben reported that the river was running high and dark.

Below the dam in River Falls there was seven inches of foam on

the water's surface.

After some discussion, we decided to take a look at the rivers

east of town rather than climb down the icy trail to the lower

Kinnickinic. We drove about 5 miles to the Rush, then headed

further on to the Eau Galle.

Parking below the Spring Valley impoundment, we walked

along the Eau Galle river. My catch of the morning turned out

to be this brief moment on the trail.

~ Hal