A Woods Tapestry

Arrived home late last night, from a trip west. The moon bright on new fallen snow, a hike up the unplowed snow crusted driveway in the wee hours of the morning. A few days ago, a hike – a break in maple sugaring and office work. Bare ground and remnants of winter, signs of early spring. A tapestry of granite, lichen and moss, dead leaves, patches of snow, the ruins of an old stone forge, leftovers from a quarrying operation long ago – and at the edge of a field – a witch-hazel shrub in bloom. The landscape and seasons full of surprises, a reminder that the path to spring is rarely smooth.