every day is a good day
Yesterday morning brought a fresh surprise, the first snow of the season. Just a light brushing of snow here and there, but enough to bring happiness.
At the same time, a buttercup poked its yellow smile through the fallen leaves. Snow and buttercups on the same morning. A very special day.
In less than an hour, the earth reaches that spot in its orbit around the sun when the northern hemisphere starts to tilt back toward the sun and the days here begin to lengthen. It really is the start of the new year. The moment to have great expectations of what the next cycle of sun and growth will bring.
Madge’s eyes are full of expectations as she sits quietly, waiting to lay an egg. Nina is full of expectations as she scratches the earth for her two chicks. There is an intensity in her eyes as she spots something better for her two loved ones to eat. They are a week old now, and scurry at blinding speed around her feet. They are two inches of pure expectation.
It’s a great time to be a fern. The weather is cool and wet, the sun is weak, they can let their leaves breathe in the moist air without worrying about drying out or getting burnt by the sun. Their moss beds stay soft and fluffy day and night. This time of year, the forest belongs to the ferns and their mossy beds.
Yesterday’s respite from the daily storms revealed a wet, blue world. Many fields have turned into duck ponds. Swans are having a field day romping in all the mud. How do swans stay so clean when they spend hours wallowing in mud?
After the rains comes the rainbow. After the rains the trees are left stranded in the overflowing slough. When they see their reflection in the glassy water, do they ooh and ahh, saying, “Oh my, am I that beautiful? Look, that man is taking our photo. Which of my limbs is the most beautiful?”
After the rains comes a sky, bluer than before. After the rains, Margaret decides that it’s time to sleep on the roost again with the other chickens. Her chicks aren’t sure what to make of it. Why is their mother up so high? Why aren’t we sleeping in our usual bed? After the rains, the whole world changes.
