morning light

this time of year, when the sun rises due east, i love to stand quietly for a minute and watch the morning light angle its way into the house. it looks hopeful, springlike. and this morning, i hear birdsong.

vernal equinox 2014

spring in new hampshire. 

overnight, nine inches more.  

longing to see green.

needful things

so much snow with the ides of march - but warming air brings melting and giant puddles of water with icy bases! i need spring now and hurry off late to see my friend, the local florist. she has tulips and daisy-like mums, shamrocks and roses. but my choice is stock, almost gone by, and she gives it to me at a bargain price. i love the pale yellow of the flowers, but i buy it for the smell. now, hours later, the heady scent of clove wafts across my desk as i write. just what i needed!

at the window

on the left, an old tool for grading maple syrup. the finished syrup was poured into bottles like these then held up to the light. the amount of light that passed through the syrup determined the grade.

on the right, a canning jar with lint from the drier tucked inside. i always start a jar like this at the beginning of march. when the weather warms and the birds come back, the little girl scatters the contents at the edge of the field, hoping someone will use it for nesting material.

outside the window, spring hasn't even thought about returning yet.