The month of April isn't beautiful in Wisconsin. It's pretty drab. The fire danger kites up after the snow is gone and before the green shows up. Everybody believes in April, though. It's like the moment of hush before the first song on Sunday morning at church. You know that spring is right there... Half an hour after the first good rain begins, the grass turns green. The red blossoms will fall off the soft maples into that green grass along with the rain.
Unfortunately, those red maple tree flowers come and go without a whole lot of notice and zero fanfare. Unnoticed, unless you know how to look. There's actually a lot going on behind the scenes in creation in April. Things like pussy willows, poplar catkins, the first blades of lilies and peony and the daffodils, and the first green tips of honeysuckle and lilac. But you have to go looking for them.
The more likely you are to enjoy life, the more likely you are to see beauty even during the drab times. Or maybe it's the other way around. You decide. I know that, for myself, when I'm feeling calm and content, I'm way more likely to see beauty in the ordinary arrangements around me.
Dawson parked his train here before leaving the other day. It was there when he came back. I'm quite likely to leave the toys where they left them after a babysitting session.
Beautiful messes left in place because I'm playing old songs from this vintage book of a thousand songs. They're not numbered, they're listed alphabetically by title. Thus Jingle Bells and Jesus Christ is Risen Today are next to each other in the book.
And lilac leaves on my table. So far they're leafing bigger than on the bush outdoors. Cut yourself some shrub branches, put them in a vase of water, and watch the green come. Enliven a parlor room with green leaves and lighted small lamps. Use night light bulbs of soft white and leave them on. Books and an instrument will also invite. Don't allow perfection. Make it clean, but lived in.
Winter Green shows up in April easily in the carpets of last year's dead oak leaves. These weren't found by the deer or any of the other critters that eat them. If I had the right equipment and patience, I would paint little journal doodles of these to remember our walks by.
No comments:
Post a Comment