Nature's Puzzles

I’ve been sorting through photos from last year, and I came across a collection of odd ones, single shots, amid a group of pictures. Taken at different times of the year, singly they seem to have no purpose, but together they become  a story of their own.  They are glimpses of Nature’s puzzles.

Spring: The Missing Apples

In years passed, I’ve written about the misfortunes and struggles of a little apple tree. What I’ve never shared is that the apple tree made the journey from Pennsylvania to Georgia tucked in the back of a U-Haul trailer,

and was finally planted in a secure, fenced in, back yard where it should be safe from marauding deer waiting to expand their diet by eating my apples.

All seemed well, and last spring the blossoms bloomed and the leaves grew. A few tiny apples were on their way, and then one day in late June, the apples were gone. AGAIN! The last time we lost apples, we also lost every leaf as the deer cleaned the tree off, leaving only bark and twig. This time the leaves were there; just the apples were missing. 

I looked at the tree, searched for the apples, checked the ground, gazed at the locked gates and the surrounding fence and wondered where did they go this time? My best guess: Raccoons. We are like the tree that continues to grow, bloom and produce fruit (only to lose it.) We are hopeful.

This year we will try again.

Summer: Bluebirds

When we first bought this house, I was thrilled to see bluebirds living in the little bluebird house in the back yard. It was a special treat to watch the babies as they fledged the nest. Bluebird parents are faithful and will return each year to a nesting place. The next summer we were gone so much I missed all the activity. I cleaned out the nest at the end of summer so it would once again be ready for use. Last spring, before we left on our RV trip, I saw the adult pair checking out the box. When we got back I watched for days to see if there was any activity. It was close to the time when the babies would fly. Finally, several weeks after they should have gone, I checked the nest. Dismayed, I found the nest with 3 unhatched eggs. What could have happened to the birds? Were the parents killed? Did something frighten them off? Why were the eggs never hatched? I will wait and watch this spring to see if they return. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Fall: The Disappearing Moss

We live in the woods. We have no grass in the front part of our property, but we have plenty of leaves, and we are getting a lovely mossy carpet in places. The bases of trees, especially, have nice moss skirts. I was puzzled one day when I noticed the moss disappearing from the base of one of our trees.

As I was filling the birdfeeder, I noticed a piece of moss about 3 feet away, and another piece a little further along.

Who is taking it? My guess: A squirrel or mouse is using it to line his winter nest.

Winter: A Treat for the Animals

I have always imagined the animals would like a change of diet from corn or old seeds in the winter, so periodically I’ll put something extra out for them. When we were done with the pumpkins in the fall I threw them back in the woods. Apparently, deer, raccoons, and opossums are not interested in pumpkins. They are where I threw them, rotting away. Next, I tried a more traditional approach. On a snowy day, I strung some popcorn and cranberries and hung it outside. First I hung the strand on a pine tree. It was untouched. Then I hung it from the bird feeder. 2 cranberries fell off. That was weeks ago. They are still lying on the ground under the feeder.

Finally, I hung it on the fence for the deer. Weeks later the popcorn and cranberries hang untouched. I guess my wildlife is like that Meat and Potatoes husband who refuses to try anything new. I'll stick to birdseed and corn kernels from now on.

It has been a warm winter this year. My  bulbs are pretty sure we are in the middle of March instead of early February.  2017 is beginning to look like another interesting year to observe nature. I will be watching.

Learning to Be in the Moment

There's a change in the view from the porch. The woods are full of color. From my perch in the loft, I look out at the treetops and they are thinning. There is much more sky peeking through the branches. The sourwoods' crimson has faded, the oaks are beginning their costume change from green to red or gold, and the Asian Pear (always the first to bloom and the last to shed its leaves) are still hanging on to their summer green.

Fall is probably my favorite time of year. This may come as a surprise to those of you who know my feelings about summer! I enjoy summer so much, that while everyone else is sweating through August and looking forward to September, I'm very careful not to think those thoughts. Summer will end, Fall will arrive, and then presto... it's winter...my not so favorite time of year.

Once fall arrives, however, I savor it. This fall has been wonderful. Summer gave up its grip, reluctantly, and we are still having warmer than normal weather. I am enjoying the best of both worlds; warm days, cool nights, and the mosquitoes have finally disappeared. This past summer was very hot and humid. For the first time in years, we never ate dinner on the porch. Between the heat and the mosquitoes, it just wasn't pleasant.

The leaf change is the part of the season that I savor the most. Even if the days were cold, they would still be pretty. Last fall was excessively wet, but the golds and the reds brightened up the gray days. There really is no way to do fall badly. We are in the midst of a severe drought this year, the opposite of last year. Everyone expected the colors to be dull, but against the cloudless blue sky nothing is dull.

Fall in Georgia is a season that lingers. Everyday, something has changed. One week it's the dogwoods, the next it's the sourwoods. As one group of trees lose their leaves, another group has begun the change from green to gold.

There is one downside to fall and I've had to learn how to deal with it. The more vibrant the colors, the clearer the unfortunate truth. What is most beautiful today will be gone next week.

Marigolds Present

Marigolds Past

There is a lot of talk these days about staying in the present. It is so easy for us to look ahead, or behind, either worrying about what is to come or thinking about what is past. Fall teaches me to just Be. I enjoy the cooler temperatures, the changes in color and the woods as it moves through this season in time. Good advice for every day. Now if I can only remember that lesson in Winter.

Iowa Photo Essay

Until Janice married and moved to Iowa, I had never been there. In my mind's eye, the view was limited. I pictured flat land covered in corn. Most of all, I pictured a land far from where I lived. 

Since then, I have discovered my car can find the way to Iowa, no matter where I start out from. It has gotten me there from Florida, from Pennsylvania, and now, from Georgia. 

And I've discovered the corner of Iowa that she lives in.

The first thing I learned was that I was right. Iowa is flat.

And there are corn and soybean fields for as far as the eye can see.

But each time I return, I discover the little things that make Iowa special. 

I love walking down the gravel road at the end of the day. 

As I walk I notice things.

Like the textures in the fields.

In summer the roadside gives way to green soybean fields. 

In the fall, as I walk, my eyes are drawn to the rows, weaving their way into the distance. They are no longer green, but dry, and ready for harvest. 

But if you come earlier, when they are changing, the fields are bright gold, and the leaves remind me of gold coins fluttering in the breeze. I think I've found the pot at the end of the rainbow.

I am always drawn to the out buildings, sheds and old barns. The peeling paint, cracked windows and leaning timbers tell a tell of history. They have been here a long time. If only they could talk.

(No worries, though. The farmers have plenty of tales to share when they have time to sit and talk.)

An old pump rises above the weeds.

Shadows follow me on a late afternoon walk. But I love how the light glows on the buildings at this time of day.

An early moon rises over the corn.

An old fence still lays claim to an abandoned homestead, keeping the fields at bay.

Winter, 

Spring, 

Summer,

or Fall,

the charm of the mid-west may be more subtle than the grandeur of the Rockies,

but it is just as enduring. 

So each year I come back to see my family. But with each visit, I am captured once again by the landscape. 

And I look for new ways to rediscover her part of Iowa.

A Gradual Awakening

When March and April roll around I eagerly begin searching for the first signs of spring. When I walk, I check the trees to see if the branch tips have begun to turn red. I search peoples' flower beds for signs of a crocus. I'm always in a hurry, and Spring always seems to drag its feet. This has been a very snowy winter and people everywhere are just ready for Spring! Me included!

March 20, The First Day of Spring came. It was cold, gray and there were snow flurries in the air.

This is the time when robins appear looking for worms, and make all of us think '"It won't be long now!" Then you wake up one morning to several inches of snow on the ground and you hear a loud healthy scream coming from somewhere. It turns out it's you, trying to vent some of that frustration.

One day as I was driving through the snow flurries I remembered the promise I made myself at the beginning of the year. "In all things, give thanks.", the Bible verse I was going to try to live out. OK, I can be thankful it's just flurries, and not a blizzard. Fair enough. I can be thankful it's..... hmmm....think some more.....it was warmer yesterday and it will be warmer tomorrow. It's a thought, but truthfully, I was still not feeling all that grateful.

And then I really started to think about what Spring is all about. Plant life has been dormant all winter, and March is its time to slowly wake up. Thinking back I remembered winter a year ago. We had a mild December. My daffodils were 4 inches high before Christmas, only to be crushed again and again by the late freezing temperatures and snow. They couldn't figure out when it was safe to come up.

This winter all of my bulbs have stayed tucked deep in the ground until now, when they are hesitantly peeking their heads out to see if it's safe. The trees are beginning to test the air as well and are slowly turning red. How much better is that gradual awakening than the mild spring, followed by a late snow that kills off the new blossoms.

I thought a little more about gradual awakenings and realized that's how we all are. There is the image of a dad, sound asleep on the couch, and his 4 year-old son comes in and yells in his ear. Dad jumps, sits up, his heart pounding in his chest. How much nicer, and better, is it to lie in bed in the morning and gradually come-to as you wake up at your own pace.

Even patients, who have been put in a sleep-induced coma for their healing, are brought out of it gradually.

Waking up slow. It has a nice feel to it. As much as I would love to wake up tomorrow and see a forest full of leaf covered trees, it would be hard to appreciate the daffodils if they were surrounded by roses and petunias. It's the fact that the daffodils and tulips are the only show, that allows us to see them as the star of the show. And speaking of the Only star in the show? I love Forsythia. Not everyone likes this shrub that can grow wild and bushy. It's not all that pretty in the summer when it's covered in little green leaves. It doesn't have much character then. But in late March or early April it is the only bush blooming and that gorgeous, bright, sunny yellow calls to you from hillsides and roadsides. It heralds Spring.

In Florida, winter is a muted season. It can get cold--below freezing in fact, but it doesn't last long. In February, spring arrives quick and vibrant. Azaleas bloom along with flowering cherry and a few dogwoods. In 3 weeks it's over and summer is knocking on the door. When I lived there I liked it that way. But I missed daffodils. When I moved back north, the Pear, Eastern Redbud and dogwood in Spring reminded me of all I had missed.

Ok. I still wish Spring would move a little faster, but when I compare it to places where it does, I can appreciate a gradual awakening that comes with Spring. While I'm waiting, you'll excuse me if I roll over in the morning and snuggle back into my pillow. If the trees can take their time waking up, then so can I!

Living in the Moment

The last few weeks have been gorgeous! Blue sky, bright sun, low humidity; a crystal clear day with cool but not cold temperatures. It is Fall. Is there a better time of year? I don't think so. Even so, I have such a hard time welcoming September which signals the end of summer. I love the warm weather and sunshine so much, that when Labor Day comes, I start to regret the end of summer. I see fall as the pre-cursor to winter. I find it really hard to just enjoy it.

That attitude has always bothered me and I've struggled to find a way to deal with it. Worry is something I just don't allow myself to do. It is a waste of time. It ruins the present without doing anything to improve the future. I get that. So when I hesitate to really enjoy the present because 'winter will be here soon' I recognize the uselessness of that attitude. It may be easy to recognize, but that doesn't mean it is easy to conquer.

Each year I struggle to find a way to embrace the coming of fall. Finally this year I 'got' it. I had that AHA moment when the picture finally came into clear focus and I saw the real issue. I realized that for every day I was wishing it was still August, I was missing the fact that it was gorgeous out.

Last year I attacked the problem by listing the 10 things I liked about fall. This year I will do it differently. Today I updated my blog page with just a few of my favorite fall pics. It took me hours to do this because I had so many pictures of fall to sort through. Some old, some new. Clearly I love this season!

One of my favorites though is the single red leaf on the green maple tree. Maggie and I were out for our walk when I saw it. Hmmph! Clearly somebody (or someleaf) is in a hurry! I felt like telling it to take its time and enjoy the moment.

It is so much more fun that way.

I love Summer!

I love summer. I like the heat. I like being outside. Summer months mean vacation and a change of pace. It means longer days and sunshine. I love seeing the hillside covered in green against that bright blue sky.

I like yardwork! Go figure. Yard work  may be a chore to some, but I like it (in small doses). It gives me an excuse to be outside and since I have no athletic ability it works better for me than tennis or golf. Compared to picking up around the house, a flower bed that's been freshly weeded looks good for days!

Of course there is a big difference between Florida summers and Pennsylvania summers. Temperatures in Pennsylvania can fluctuate quite a bit during June, July, and August. One day it can be 75 and the next 95. In Florida there is NO fluctuation. The weather man's job is easy.  "Tomorrow we will have highs in the mid-90's with a chance of showers in the afternoon". He can say that from May to October. Even so, because we had quite a bit of shade in Florida I was able to work outside in the yard a lot longer than I can at our present home where there is no shade. Here, the sun gets to me after an hour or two and I head inside to cool off before heading back out again.


There is a downside to summer, though. For one thing, unfortunately there is nothing pretty or cute about me when I am 'flushed with heat'. When I get hot my face gets beat red, my hair is dripping and consequently drooping. I'm envious of people who can look good no matter how hot it is!

Another downside is a hot summer night. It's not fun sleeping when it is hot so I am very grateful for air conditioning.  The nice thing about Pennnsylvania is that a lot of nights are cool enough that we can sleep with windows open and a fan going. And I can usually walk 2-3 miles in the morning if I get out early enough, before that sun starts beating down. In Florida, it was hard to get out early enough. I remember opening the door to let the dog out in the middle of the night and being hit with a wall of heavy hot air that I felt could swallow me up.

I made a promise not to moan about the winter last year. Our fall was so long and so beautiful, but winter took a long time leaving and I'm soaking up as much summer as I can. I won't begin to complain about the heat even if it gets to be very hot. After all, I know it will be short lived and in another week I'll be slipping on a hoodie on a cool morning. The truth is, for me, when the sky is blue, the trees are green and the air is warm (or just cool enough for a hoodie) all is right in my world!

Time-Elapsed Spring

I took a drive from Pennsylvania to Hilton Head, South Carolina yesterday. When I left home it was 35 degrees, barren trees, and only a hint of the coming spring. The sun rose to a clear day and as I drove through West Virgina the best news was that I didn't have to deal with snow on the highway, but there was still no sign of spring.

North Carolina brought improvements. The grass was green and I began to see the red tinge of buds appearing on the trees. It doesn't take much to get me excited at this time of year, and that was the beginning for me. The excitement rose in my veins the way sap rises in a maple tree.

I stopped for gas and took my jacket off. It was 60 outside. The breeze was mild, the sun warm. Yea!! The bright yellow of forsythia bloomed on the roadside. I started singing in the car. Maggie got up to see what I was so excited about. I don't think she got it. I continued on. Crossing Lake Norman I was enthralled by the flowering trees. It was a beautiful afternoon. If this is March in North Carolina I could live here!

At the South Carolina Welcome Center I got out for a bathroom break. Crossing the parking lot, I was almost dancing. Daffodils were in bloom!

It was 75 degrees. The sky was a deep blue above the pines. I was in heaven.

 Spring is such a beautiful time, but I would be happiest if I could skip the first 6 weeks when the world is still cold and it springs back to life in slow-motion. I love watching the time-lapsed version. Of course, when I return home, it will be early spring again, but then I get the real version....the one where I get to enjoy the daffodils and tulips for several days, the bloom of the trees as they go from gorgeous flower to pale green leaf.

Sometimes my impatience gets in the way.

March 1st!

It's March 1st! Normally this does not fill me with joy. To me, March is not true spring, just the promise that winter is almost over. Anyone who has lived through March in the north knows it can be cold, windy, and damp. We can still get a heavy snowfall. But this year I am ready to welcome it! Of course, the fact that the day dawned sunny and clear certainly helps, even if it was 28 degrees outside. There was a new view outside, too. The snow was all gone.

After Christmas is over, I leave out a few 'snow' ornaments to decorate the house in winter. A couple of lighted snowmen, evergreen trees and pointsettias (silk of course) brighten the house on winter evenings. A collage of pictures hangs over my microwave. I change them with the seasons. Last week I decided I was ready to put the decorations away and take the ground hog at his word. I swapped out the pictures of snow covered branches and geese on a frozen pond for the spring shots.

When I took a tour of the yard I discovered the daffodils are just as anxious as I am. It's really too early for them, but I have several that are 3 inches high already! My magnolia tree has fuzzy buds. And today, as I drove out of the neighborhood I noticed the treetops on the hillside across the road had a red tinge to them as the sap returned to the top branches.

Spring is on it's way. We've put February to bed. It is March 1st. April is only 31 days away! With a 2 week trip to Florida planned it will be a very good month indeed!

Welcome, Fall

September flew by helped along by the birth of Samantha. I am home again, and slowly regaining the rhythm of the day. I have to admit that one advantage of family and job is that it always made it easier for me to get back into a routine. Since the demands on my days are few, it always takes me about 3-4 days to regroup and develop a daily pattern.

It didn't help that I was welcomed back home by 4 days of rain and cold weather. I was only able to get out and walk one day. Today is wonderful. The sun is shining, the sky is blue and I'm finally able to really see the beginnings of the fall colors around me.

Fall is truly my favorite season. The changing leaves and the crisp air are hard to beat. As much as I enjoy summer with it's warm days and trees covered in green, a beautiful fall day cannot be matched. I love the golds, russets, reds; fields of goldenrod, and bloom of mums. Unfortunately, sometimes I have a difficult time embracing it. I also see it as a signal that winter is on the way and it will be many months before I can enjoy those warm days again. But last year, I discovered one of the hidden blessings of fall.

There is a natural progression to fall. It begins with just a hint. The days become 'slightly' cooler, and just a bit shorter. As it moves on the world around me becomes breathtaking. I fall in love with cool nights for sleeping, windows open during the day, air that is crisp and clear. Eventually all great things must come to an end. The colors fade to brown. The days become cold and chilly. But just then Christmas lights appear everywhere--in stores, in nursery's, on city streets. By Thanksgiving, fall maybe almost past and winter may be almost here, but the holiday season is in full swing. And that brings it's own special joy.

Fall provides a beautiful backdrop as it transitions us from summer to winter. And the Holiday season provides a beatiful backdrop as winter arrives. One of the side effects of spending so many years in Florida is that I found winter harder this time than when I lived here as a child. But there are gorgeous winter days as well.  So as Fall descends I will embrace it in all it's stages. I will be like Frederick in Leo Lionni's children's book. I will absorb all the colors of summer and fall so that when winter comes I can remember that deep blue sky, green leaves, daisies, rosebushes, warm sun, and babbling brooks. And on a gray, rainy or snowy day, I'll pull out those memories and warm myself with them as I sit by the fire.