Trees – Page 9 – The Weight of My Days

Bears are not our pals

The kids really enjoyed themselves playing with the black bears. They climbed on top of Mama bear’s head, tried to stick their fingers in the bear cub’s mouth, petted all four bears with vigor. Would you let your kids do that? Three times this week, I watched parents encourage their kids to play with bears. … read more Bears are not our pals

Happy Birthday, Herb!

Last February, I ran away from home. The winter was too much for me. I got into the car and drove to South Georgia and then Tampa and then Savannah. When I finally came back on March 6, the cold was mostly gone. I bought my herb plants for the year, and that Sunday, I cradled them into … read more Happy Birthday, Herb!

Three little phoebes

In the locker room yesterday, I found a 1981 penny. After I started this project, I came to believe that when someone who has died wants to send you a message, they put a penny in your path. I couldn’t remember who had died in 1981, so I had to look it up. Two names jumped … read more Three little phoebes

Let it snow

Things weren’t going well even before the snowstorm began. The day started with a leak in the kitchen ceiling – and a basement that’s flooded again. My regular plumber came out, but said he couldn’t do the job OR install the new water heater. And the plumber he referred me to can’t come until Monday. … read more Let it snow

Three big spiders

This may be the first photo I ever took of spiders. At least, spiders that I really wanted to look at. I was developing a relationship with spiders. Costa Rica, 1989: Traveling alone, I was contemplating a divorce from my first husband. The trip was a way to prove to myself that I could make it alone. … read more Three big spiders

Identifying trees, part 1

It’s gray, cloudy, raining like heck. One of those days when you think that the sun itself is science fiction, and that nothing in the world will ever be right again. This is the best time to find a beech tree. Perfect conditions. Drive anywhere, and you’ll see nothing but beech trees. Because right now, they’re the only … read more Identifying trees, part 1

Pretty, and pink, and edible

The air is so warm and sweet, winter must be gone for good. Not just this year, but forever. The birds are singing their little bird hearts out, and the redbuds are bursting with blossoms. Those delicate pink flowers started to show all around Atlanta last week, already. They’re not out yet in North Georgia, but I plan to … read more Pretty, and pink, and edible

Out of the mist

Buckets of water are hitting the windshield. I expect to see fish on the car’s hood. The forecast for home, where we’re headed, is freezing rain. The temperature in Chattanooga starts out around 38. Then we cross into Georgia, and the temperature drops a few degrees. As we head further east, closer to home, the temperature goes … read more Out of the mist

A world of snow

Everything was cancelled by 10 a.m. here – because we had, what, 1/2″ of snow? Not even enough to go snowshoeing… I brought a clump of snow inside, and sat it on a black board to study it with my camera. Here’s what I found: A whole world in less than an inch. A dancer in … read more A world of snow

The first

Daffodils are kind of … daffy. They come up too early every year, oblivious to the dangers that are looming just over the snow-laden cloud-filled horizon, sticking their cheerful faces to the sun at the first sign of warmth. Yet there’s something about seeing the first one. It gives you a blindly loyal kind of hope, … read more The first