a man and his hoe

every day is a good day

  • Every Few Steps, a Wonder

    UpCloseA

    A cherry tree which knows no seasons blooms a few blossoms all year long. It never bursts into bloom like the other trees. A few blossoms here, a few blossoms there, year round it blooms.

    UpCloseB

    Morning dew drops on a puff of moss. One of the wonders of the natural world. Every few steps along the old, crumbling fence, a wonder on each post. It’s why we don’t rip the fence out and build a new one. It takes decades for a new fence to be this wondrous.

    UpCloseC
    UpCloseD

    Visitors may wonder why we keep the old fence. But they wouldn’t have to look at a sterile new fence every day. And what would happen to the puffs of ancient moss on the old fence?

  • Christmas Blue

    ChristmasA

    A quirk of the calendar had me delivering eggs to Tweets Christmas morning. Seeing the snow on Chuckanuts made for a pleasant bicycle ride. The clouds hinted at possibilities of Christmas Blue. Around here, blue skies, even blue splashes at Christmas make the natives dance for joy.

    ChristmasB

    Nina was out scratching a Christmas feast for her little ones. These chicks, born at the coldest, wettest time of the year are in for a surprise when the winter clouds give way to spring skies.

    ChristmasC

    And here it is, Christmas Blue, tantalizing openings in the clouds. This time of year, it’s easy to forget in the Pacific Northwest that skies can be blue, that above the clouds there is still a sun that shines.

    ChristmasD
    ChristmasE

    For Christmas dinner, fresh dark greens out of the garden. Blue in the sky, luscious greens out of the garden, what more could one ask for Christmas?

  • First Snow

    FirstSnowA

    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.

    FirstSnowB

    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.

    FirstSnowFlower

  • Great Expectations

    GreatExpectationsA

    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.

    GreatExpectationsB

  • Even in the Darkest, Shortest Days

    2015-12-19A

    Even in the darkest, shortest days of the year, there is plenty of life. Chickens don’t hibernate in the winter. After a full day pecking and scratching, they gather at their favorite spots to gossip. Margaret is still raising her chicks, even though they are nearly as large as she. This is her second brood this year. Will she raise chicks next year, or will she decide that raising ten chicks is enough?

    2015-12-19B
    2015-12-19C

    In the woods, fungi don’t stop growing. On this fallen log, they’ve spread their filament hyphae deep into the wood, and now they are fruiting, developing mushroom heads on the side of the log. Over many years, the fungi will eat the log until it disappears onto the forest floor. In time, it will nourish new trees, which will grow old, fall, and become fungal food again.

    2015-12-19D