Greetings, dear readers.

I walked in a light rain this afternoon. The light was soft, well-filtered through clouds and a bit of mist, reaching down and licking the landscape with every shade of green. This is the time of year that sings in green – leaf green, frog green, water green, grass green. There are so many different colors and textures of green. If we lived in this landscape would we have more words for it?

The oak at the center of this image is a tree I have watched for over a year. It was revealed to me out of the landscape when the gas company leveled a swath of mixed woodland for a branch pipeline. Mercifully, this mother oak and several of her equally massive sisters were spared. Her crown is huge, probably twenty five feet across. Clad now in new leaves with a green- gold cast, by mid summer it will be deep green and dense.

The knots you see in the crown are not just a trick of light. Oaks hold out their leaves in fistfuls – clumped and turned every which way. It’s a powerful look. Maples, by contrast, lay their leaves in spreading planes, giving each a chance to catch the light. They look skirted and lovely on a damp afternoon.

I walked, the trees stood, and a soft rain fell. It was sweet.

Readers, I hope you’re enjoying spring walks and quiet moments among the trees. Be safe and well!