A rainbow is fleeting...here one minute and gone the next.  The breathtaking colors slowly dance across the sky then quickly fade from view.  The moment is missed entirely if you do not stop and embrace its magical wonder. To view a rainbow in the clouds is like receiving an unexpected gift wrapped with a beautiful bow.  You can't believe it is meant for you.  It makes one feel loved and special. 

April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land,
Mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.
T. S. Eliot

Pear Blossoms In Bud

Against the Sky

Bumble Bee Indulgence

A Curled Branch Full of Petals

The orchards are alive with blossoms.
  Tiny petals flutter in the wind and fall like snow.
  Every flower has the potential to mature by season's end 
just as every human heart has ability to bloom to its fullest potential.

We blossom under praise like  flowers in the sun and dew.
We open, we reach, we grow.
Gerhard E. Frost

Spring is ushered in by the Redbud Tree.  When these native trees blossom, they create breathtaking moments in unexpected places.  My late Father-In-Law referred to this tree as "Ironwood," because it was useless for lumber or kindling, and a former elderly neighbor called it the "Judas Tree."   Now mind you, she was extremely knowledgable of folklore and lived through many historic events, including the sinking of the Titanic. 

Easter is a celebration of new life!

Field work is contemplative work.  The farmers are taking advantage of an early spring by tilling the soil for planting.  Chisel plows dig hard ground with disk harrows to crumble any remaining clods before spreading seeds and fertilizer.  Long hours are spent grooming acres of land, row after row, behind a team of horses.  Without the sunshine and rain all efforts would be in vain.  Just as the sod gives back according to what has been planted so does the mind.  

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
Robert Louis Stevenson

Keep your hand to the plow and don't look back.

The awakening of spring has been ushered in by the sound of wild birds.  Last week I heard the honking of geese flying north, followed by the chirping of robins, then the chatting of red-winged blackbirds.  It is a predictable performance that lifts my spirits every year.  The music of my feathered friends is an assurance of earth's undying rhythm and a dependable signal of the changing season.  

The past several days I have been watching the house finches gather twigs as they fly from the Larch tree to the flower bed. Below are a few pictures of their "move-in."

After rummaging through the mulch for the perfect stick, they flutter back to their nest hidden among the ivy leaves.  With all the birding activity of late, I am beginning to wonder if that Larch tree isn't becoming a condo.

The month of March brings a mix of weather. Strong winds blow clouds across the sky dropping snow, sleet, and rain with occasional thunder.  The season is changing.  My dad used to say that a thunder storm in late winter is an indication that spring is here. 

I heard a flock of wild geese flying north this past week.