If you pay attention you can already detect the scent of green – I love how the color is synonymous with the fragrance. The trees here are still in their remission, but the promise of verdancy is in the air. In a few corners the crocus has made a welcome reappearance, the first “Hello!” of the year.

It’s been very wet lately, with temps bouncing from the 30’s to almost 60° F, as we spin out of what has been a mostly mild Winter and into the unknown of what Spring will deliver. We are not there yet – this could be a Fake Out Spring, and it’s possible to be plunged back into a frost or even a snowstorm at any time. Early March is always like that, yet we always eventually arrive.

Raindrop-glistened spears hinting of future daffodils rise from the damp border beds.

While my heart is not yet beating with the usual excitement brought on by the anticipation of the upcoming seasonal rotation, there have been small moments of appreciation which have brought on a smile. Last week while loading my groceries into the car, I discovered a ladybug sitting inside on the sun-warmed retractable hatchback cover. Somehow there was a hopeful sweetness in that image. In order not to disturb it, the groceries were placed on the back seat instead, and I drove home with the tiny stowaway. I’m not sure when it had flown in there, or if it had actually hatched somewhere in the trunk, or if there are others. Nothing would surprise me. I keep waiting to see if any praying mantises will be showing up, following the time they hatched and escaped inside my car (see Mantis – 4/22/22 for that saga).

High up in the pines, the noisy chatter of a red squirrel draws one’s attention and lends a delightful pop of color to the wet day.

As the winter slowly winds down, I’ve been buying and enjoying interesting fruits, some of which have directed walks down a few memory paths. The weird looking little Lychees always bring me back to my father, who turned us on to them as kids. I put them in the refrigerator to get cold before peeling off the thin outer coverings to reveal the refreshingly, pungent/sweet white flesh within. Each year I have started some Lychee seeds, which sprout and grow for a while, but never seem to quite make it to a viable plant. Maybe worth another try…..

Both Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons have been enjoyed by themselves and in salads, following a discussion with my sister about the different types. They are each nice, but I’ve decided I like whichever one it is that becomes super sweet and jelly-like on the inside…. I think that is the Fuyu.

I have to admit here that over the last few days I’ve been feeling a little lost in the abyss, the source being a combination of reasons – some that I could probably have controlled, but most are things that are out of my hands. It feels as if a huge pause is occurring in the world, in the universe…. as if we are all Waiting for something to happen, or something to change. On the Verge. In the middle of all of this, there is the insistent urge, nagging somewhere in my core, that wants to get out of here for a while, to be Somewhere Else for just a little while. Is this just me? Does anyone else feel this too? Is it just the seasonal shift?

In an attempt to veer away from that direction, I decided to mentally hurry the seasons along and get in a Spring state of mind with a Spring State of Mind Meal. Last night’s dinner consisted of a mix of both cremini and wild mushrooms that had been foraged and dried previously (morels and black trumpets) in a fresh spinach and creamy mushroom sauce, with a sprinkling of grape tomatoes thrown in, all laced with Marsala. This was poured over spinach penne – which resulted in a super earthy, while also rather wild, green, and vernal meal. I did take a photo, but it lost a lot in translation, so you’ll have to use your imagination here. But it was a taste of something to look forward to, of things to come.

Waiting.

~*~