What a difference a week makes!
last Friday night the big storm they said was coming
came.
lots of gorgeous snow fell
then sleet.
early Saturday morning
it seemed more light was streaming upward than down
the pristine icy earth illuminating
the pale, blue-white, pre-dawn sky.
with gloved hands gripping the shovel handle
i cleared a path out the door
into the garden
and toward the shed and cars
wondering all the while
about the crocus that had opened in the spring warmth
preceding the storm.
the snow was very heavy
i knew the next round of buds couldn't care less
but wondered if the first gentle flakes that fell
had settled in and around those first flowers
nestling
bundling
building a cushion of crystalline protection
from the several inches of ice that fell as the storm raced on and away.
in the piercing light streaming up into my face
beneath the blazing sun
as my muscles stretched and strained
with each shovel full
i dreamed of the blue-white under world of
waiting crocus.
SundayMondayTuesdayWednesday warmed in the sunshine
each night dropped below freezing.
Thursday morning: 14 degrees at 5am.
at 8am it was already 40 degrees
and when i went out to the car
i spied these peeking just above the snow:
when i returned midday
the thermometer says it is nearly 70.
rivulets of water running everywhere
the giant mounds of piled snow noticeably diminished
and:
when i went into the garden later in the afternoon
only slushy remnants of snow on the lawn
and these:
already beginning to close up for the night
i had almost missed the "Tommies" wide open faces!
Crocus tommasinianus
i love the music in their name
tommasinianus
one of the first pieces of gardener's Latin
that made me think
i want to know more.
