Good Morning

The sun is up over the trees and the birds are chirping. A goldfinch and cardinal are taking turns at the feeder giving a bright display of colors among the light fog that is lifting. A flock of Canada geese fly over giving a bass voice to the song of a wren. And here I sit at the computer with a blank mind except what is filling it from my surroundings. I fret about my lack of material and motivation for a post when I realize that I need to stop and just be in the moment. So I join the cats at the window and continue to watch the morning awakening. 

I hope you also get a few quiet moments today to enjoy what is around you.

Thankful Sunday--April 20, 2014

I am thankful for Easter 

 

because it reminds us that 

all things are possible.

Ponderings of Theodore--the teenage years.

The teenage years are often a difficult time as we transition from childhood to adulthood. During this time, we try to figure out who we are and who we want to become. We explore, we retreat. We're popular, we're invisible. We're happy, we're sad. In other words, we're in limbo, not quite sure where to land. During some of Theo's teenage angst years, he wrote about this. One of those times was in today's poem.

                                                                 Limbo

                                                            by Theodore

                                          How can you be falling if you never hit the ground?

                                          How can you be flying if you never touch the sky?

                                          How can you love yourself if you never are good?

                                          How can you hate yourself if you never are evil?

                                          When people stare in awe and wonder

                                          And flee before your touch

                                          Neither heaven nor hell will take you

                                          And you want nothing so much

                                          As a solid place to stand

                                          And someone to take your hand.

Freeze warnings--who knew?

I learned something interesting yesterday-at least interesting to me. I learned that freeze warnings are only issued during the growing season when there is the possibility of serious damage to plants. Previously, I thought the weather service issued a freeze warning anytime it was likely the temperatures would dip below freezing.

I came to this new revelation yesterday while watching the evening weather. Most of the viewing area was issued a freeze warning--except the mountains to the west. I wasn't sure why they were excluded, but I just assumed there was a warm front headed for us that had already reached them. However, in reality, it was because the official growing season hadn't started there yet. Therefore, there was no need to worry about the plants. Who knew that this was the real reason that the mountains didn't get the same warning? I certainly didn't until the weatherman mentioned it.

When I learn something new like this, I often wonder why I didn't know it before. I've been watching the weather my whole life, so how did I miss this? I'm not sure, but learning about it now has been fun. Sometimes it's the little things. Actually, it usually is the little things that make my day. :)

Want to know more?
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/growing-season/?ar_a=1 
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/pah/pdf/frostfreeze.pdf

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During the poem sharing I've been doing this month, I've tried to include a variety of poem types--simple rhyme, children's, classical, and home grown. Today's poem will be another kind--a modern, free verse by Dylan Thomas.

Here In This spring
by Dylan Thomas

Here in this spring, stars float along the void;
Here in this ornamental winter
Down pelts the naked weather;
This summer buries a spring bird.

Symbols are selected from the years'
Slow rounding of four seasons' coasts,
In autumn teach three seasons' fires
And four birds' notes.

I should tell summer from the trees, the worms
Tell, if at all, the winter's storms
Or the funeral of the sun;
I should learn spring by the cuckooing,
And the slug should teach me destruction.

A worm tells summer better than the clock,
The slug's a living calendar of days;
What shall it tell me if a timeless insect
Says the world wears away?

A Second Look--April 16, 2014

We had a warm weekend which encouraged a lot of plants to make an appearance. Among them were several different kinds of daffodils. I'm trying once again to remember how many varieties we have and so far I've counted five. The daffodils were all already planted when we moved here, and I can never seem to keep track of them.

Unfortunately as I write this, it's sleeting and snowing outside. I hope some of the plants didn't make an appearance too soon.

Here's what I saw this week during a Second Look.

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Here's today's poem by Robert Frost.

A Prayer in Spring

Robert Frost

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,

But which  it only needs that we fulfil.