Living – Places: 38
2026
After a very dry and overly warm winter and early spring, in May we were overjoyed to experience nicer temperatures and, best of all, several wonderful rainstorms. As a result, the world around us turned green with exuberant life, and my daily walks are much more joyful as my eyes drink in the beauty from the tiniest fresh green plants popping up to entire hillsides of Mountain Mahogany radiating a deep green aura.
Here are two examples basking in the early morning sun: a small salsify flower shining against a deep green Virginia Creeper vine and my favorite old great grandmother cottonwood with her many thousands of fresh green leaves dancing in the gentle morning breeze against a brilliant blue sky. I love this tree, and often pause to lay a gentle hand on her bark to say hello and feel her vibrant energy.
It does my heart so much good to pause for a moment on my walk to contemplate the beauty of fresh apple blossoms, one of my favorite springtime flowers. The lane I walk along used to have orchards a long time ago. Today, there a few old apple trees remaining along the way, and they still exuberantly flower each spring, even this spring after the exceedingly warm, dry winter we just had. What a gift!
It's way too early because of our very warm winter, but still so welcome. The wild plum bushes flower first and then leaf later. A good sized bush has thousands and thousands of blossoms, and they emit an incredibly lovely fragrance. To walk past a flowering wild plum bush is to spend a few moments immersed in total bliss.
