These colorful catalogs are a gardener's treasure-trove too, especially when winter is just underway and the arctic wind continues to blow. Turning to the catalog I imagine stepping out across the lawn in bare feet to wiggle my toes in the soft garden soil on the first warm spring day. I can taste a cherry tomato -- warmed by the summer sun and plucked fresh -- and feel the seeds squirt out my mouth. I can smell thick slices of eggplant grilling on the deck. In between batches of Christmas cookies baking in the oven, I leaf through the catalog to catch a glimpse of summers past and future.
After the cookies cooled, Bella and I retraced the steps of our walk on the Solstice. The deer, coyote, and mice had done the same, many times over. When we set out the temperature was below twenty, colder than Monday. Today though, the sun is shining. Even the chickadees were whistling a sweeter tune under a bright sun. As we walked the wind waned. I sense a change in weather. These past weeks of sub-freezing temperatures have left the wetlands frozen solid. We wandered farther out to cast our view across the beaver pond. A warming trend may soften the ice, so we take great pleasure in our walk on frozen ice today.
The heron nests are silent now.In the stillness of winter,
one can almost hear the croaks of young herons
from nesting seasons past.
Winterberry bursting with holiday cheer.
Solitude
'Who can resist another package of nasturtiums?' Not us, especially at this time of year. We just can't resist those rich colors!! We got our first catalog today, a bit better than a few years ago when they all arrived before Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays!