promise of spring

Standing tall in winter

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We’ve enjoyed days of blue sky and sunshine. Our temperatures have soared into the 40s and 50s and we were so very optimistic for spring. Even the grass was showing, and snow was only found in small mounds on protected north sides.

And then it snowed yesterday. Spring was delayed another time. Today I found these trees standing tall on a hill in our monotone winter landscape, their branches still bare but triumphant. They know that spring will come. The grass beneath their trunks will be green again. The sky above their outstretched arms will be a brilliant shade of blue. And their branches will burst out with a full coverage of green leaves. Not today, but soon.

The hope of spring

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Springtime – a season of change, a season of hope, and a season of color.  I’ve always looked forward to spring and its warmth and beauty.  In Minnesota spring seems to condense and then open up all in a small time period.  It’s as if you can literally watch the grass become green and the leaves pop out from the buds on the trees.  Everything draws deep into the color palettes as Mother Nature wakes up from winter.  One of my favorite flowers are tulips with all their styles and hues, colors and textures.  They are the precursor to the abundance of late spring and summer and all the rich colors that follow.  On a dreary day they can be the one bright spot in the garden.  And on a sunny day they glow as their colors are set off by the warmth and brilliance of the sun.

Blooming bravely before spring

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Soon the snow will melt, and soon it will be spring!  We enjoyed a quick vacation to Salt Lake City the past few days.  There were remnants of snow when we arrived, but the sun was warm and the temperatures climbed each day.  Being from snow-bound Minnesota, I was thrilled to see these lovely spring crocus –  fighting off the cold and the snow of winter, bravely blooming and reminding us that spring will conquer winter and we will be surrounded by color once again. Soon.

Tulip time!

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It’s tulip time –  perhaps in the temperate Skagit Valley of Washington, or in the states to the south of me.  But in Minnesota the ground has just thawed and there hasn’t been enough warmth for any bulbs to force through the still cool soil.  Yet with the help of a nearby florist, we can enjoy the scents and colors of the spring to come.  These tulips have brightened my world every day this past week and given me the promise of spring – perhaps just around the corner.

Store-bought spring

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Yellow tulips_StaatsSpring has been hard-to-come-by in Minnesota.  Although we’ve had some warmer temperatures they seem to be interrupted with cold fronts and more snow.  Desperate for spring, I decided that even store-bought color would count.  Yellow and green are the colors that represent the hope and promise of spring, and these lovely yellow tulips were calling to me at the store.  With some sunshine and temps in the 40’s, I took my spring bouquet outside to photograph.  A little bit of filtered sunshine seemed to bring them to life.  What you don’t see in this image  is the white snow that still covers the ground in places.  But I can look at this image and focus on the promise of spring to come.