Colors of May

Cheery bold redbud,

shadowy evergreen,

wispy baby birch fingers

   dusted emerald yellow,

distant mountain aquamarine

   dulled in milky haze,

sun shifting open white folds of clouded sky.

Virginia Meets the North Pole!

Oh yes, it was cold today. This is our coldest bout of Winter so far. I think the high temperature today was around 16 degrees with strong winds.

The sudden temperature drop basically means this for me:

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. This weather bothers my rheumatism! And I'm beginning to realize (not just in the abstract) that it doesn't get any better as I get older.

Things weren't so bad this morning. The sun was shining brilliantly and it was about six degrees or something when we headed out to church. I bundled up for the two minutes or so that I would actually have to spend outside.

O heck, it didn't feel so bad. I decided to take a "selfie" to show off my smoothness in handling the cold.

"Hey, I got this! Six degrees, no big deal..."

"... with wind gusts up to forty miles an hour?! Oh, gosh! Maybe I should just get into the car!"

Okay, Winter, you win this round.

Just remember, I can still take pictures from inside the car, and no matter how cold it gets, evergreens are always GREEN! So there!

Look how beautiful and serene it is... from the passenger's seat, behind the window, in a warm car!

Sturdy, Leafy Friends

My brave wintergreens

prevail

against the frozen snow.

Framed in crystal white,

with looming, stretching shadows

gathered over them,

they rise up

verdant, vital, bright emeralds

in the play of the lowering light.

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Ivy, ivy, ivy

creeping

over crumpled last year's leaves

and roots of sleeping trees.

Deep hues of ivy.

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Green and white,

dappled sunlight!

.

I take inspiration from my sturdy, leafy friends.

Wings of the Wind

"Above the rains You build Your dwelling.
You make the clouds Your chariot,
You walk on the wings of the wind"
(Psalm 104:3).

Frosty the Windows!

It's time to give in and admit that Winter weather has begun. It's FREEZING! We didn't get snow, but that didn't stop the car windows from getting nice and frosty in the morning:

On a morning like this, I'm glad there's a strong young man around here to do the work, haha:

He's tough out there in just a jacket. Some people really had to bundle up, even to keep their eyes warm. Although I'd like to know what happened to her mittens:

"Can we see your eyes, please?"

"Thank you. Thank you very much!"

Fall Has Fallen

Well, that was fast.

A couple of windy days and cool nights, and... barrroooom! Lots of empty branches. And, suddenly, it's time to get the rakes out: