Snow to Spring

• 

• 

See that tree in the background behind the kids with the droopy limbs? I have hated that tree since we moved here in May 2018. I have thought it was the ugliest tree, with a ridiculous straight trunk, and these sad, pathetic branches hanging all over the place. When mowing the yard last year I didn’t even feel terrible about catching a few of those long dangling piece. I continued to have this back and forth conversation as to whether or not to just cut the thing down. But instead I let it stand through the winter.

Spring has finally arrived, and I am so glad I didn’t send the tree to the composting pile. It has popped alive with these beautiful white flowers cascading all the way to the grass. This photo was just 3 days ago. Yesterday, it looked like this:

Each day, more buds are opening up to these gorgeous flowers. All the trees are popping in new leaves and blooms as well. The apple trees are suddenly filled with lovely flowers, trees are going green, and life is returning after a very cold winter. I think this is a good reminder to all of us that we can always re-bloom when life is feeling cold and stale. When we sometimes feel like we’ve been sitting in the same place, for a long time, we can spread our arms like wings and awake. We can start with a new color and become bring and beautiful again. We have each had our moments that are those of darkness, but then suddenly the sun shines on our faces, we warm up, and we just start to bloom.

Spring and Summer are always my favorite time of the year. I love the sun, I love the warmth. I love the new plants and flowers popping out of the Earth, I love the sight of new babies coming to life and growing. This year we have welcomed new chicks and goat kids to the farm. Next year we hope to be hatching our own chicks, and our goats giving birth to their first little ones. Each year, life will come and go, and we can always hope for a brighter beginning.

The brightness of a day like today also brought the need for some spring cleaning. This week I’ve tackled this big house and pushed through all the mess that was tucked away for the winter. Today, I began tackling my studio…I might have been done had one of the dogs not decided to break through the backyard fence. So, the studio will be put on hold until this weekend. But this weekend it will be cleaned, fabrics sorted, kits put together, and hopefully a few new quilts cut. I can’t wait to see where this Spring inspiration takes me, and to see what lands under my needle next.