Snowy Saturday

To the south – a blizzard. Here, snow flurries.

While I personally feel short-changed to miss a good storm, the aftermath is a lot for Grant to cope with. No sooner had our walkways cleared from the last lot of ice than they got buried again on Friday night, so Saturday morning I was out admiring the latest snowfall.

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The sunflowers had fresh hats.

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The reason I don’t is because birds love to pick at them.

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Down in the field, the pine trees looked like dancers in heavy costumes.

At least to me.

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Freshly decorated, the modified shape of our broken apple tree stood out.

It was cleaved in half a few weeks ago when another tree fell on it.

The poor thing has been failing for some time, so could this be the end? In my experience plants that get savaged often get a new lease on life.

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Yucca plants are a case in point. They propagate rapidly and I was obliged to do some serious cutting back, yet this seemed only to encourage more enthusiastic growth.

The big white flowers they produce are nice, but unrestrained I think yucca would take over.

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The big old lilac didn’t get much attention last year. I try to rescue it from invaders that push their way in and snip off dead bits, but mostly the only support it gets from me is a kind word here and there.

Kind words matter to plants, I’m convinced.

Perhaps not the actual words but the vibration they carry.

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Very many years ago I grew beautiful African violets that I was very fond of. Was their success due more to the perfect aspect of the kitchen where I kept them, than to the loving words I offered them? Perhaps.

The cat I lived with at the time was not interested in my agricultural endeavours, so the flowers thrived, but soon Kina arrived on the scene and that was the end of my violets and all future attempts at indoor horticulture.

But to this day I maintain that it is good to offer your plants good vibes.

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The little lane leading out to the state route is always ploughed.

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Crab apple trees by the frozen pond. They are beautiful in flower but I like this look too.

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Trees are such good value. They are decorative in any stage; those first early buds in Spring, lush leaves in Summer and gorgeous arrays of Fall colours. Equally, they are magnificent in their stark Winter appearance, or bedecked with snow.

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The village road is kept clear but this time of year it becomes strewn with potholes.

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A sugar maple marks the end of our road.

Scenes of a snowy Saturday.

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