5/19/11

It's been amazing watching spring waken things up here. I left Seattle in late March where the plums and magnolias were rockin' and the daffodils were on the way out. I feel like I flew back in time arriving in NY, with snow still hiding the ground, though I actually flew ahead in time.
The forest was naked You could see far up the mountains. Winds would roar through the forest like a freight train coming from over the hill behind my house, bringing sleet, freezing rain, and nameless other violent precipitation.
Then the red maples broke bud and spring was here. It's irreversible. Daffodils, other maples (I have yet to meet), wood violets, forsythia, the oaks, the elms, columbine, betulaceae, ash, magnolias, garlic broccoli weed, cherries, tulips, apple, dogwood, wild mustard, elderberry, and lilac have flowered... in that order.
There are fantastic thunderstorms and downpours rolling outside. I can't believe it's rained like this for 5 days and they expect another few. Maybe not as dramatic but nonetheless, I've experienced winter torn to spring on the east coast for the first time in 15 years and back then I hardly paid attention to what was going on with the plants.
It's excellent to have new trees, flowers, mushrooms, and animals to get to know. To be stimulated by nature familiar, yet unknown to me. There are always more species to encounter, to ID, and to appreciate. To cultivate and to use. A minute to learn and a lifetime to master, just like Othello.
And when an area becomes too familiar, I find a different ecosystem to feed my curiosity be it in day trips to the beach or a mountain meadow, or moving to the CA desert or NE hardwood forest. It's all new and overwhelming at first, but like good friends , you get to know each other, hear each others histories and fears. Understanding and feeling comfortable with each other. Being real and still having secrets to reveal.