We’re finally in the midst of spring weather! Beautiful flowers have sprouted like tulips, lilacs, daffodils and the greening of our small town is amazing! We’ve been getting a ton of rain lately (feels a bit like North Carolina!), but honestly, I’m grateful for it. We just planted some baby trees and bushes, and this rainfall has been perfect for helping them take root. I was fortunate to get a few from a local group, Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), which help support native plant and animal species in Pennsylvania.

Despite the occasional storm, it feels amazing to be back in the garden again. There’s something about the smell of rain-soaked earth and the buzz of new growth that makes everything feel alive. The rain makes me think of a poem by Longfellow.

The Rainy Day

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,

But at every gust the dead leaves fall,

And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,

But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,

And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;

Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;

Thy fate is the common fate of all,

Into each life some rain must fall,

Some days must be dark and dreary.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I have to admit, this weather has a kind of poetic rhythm to it. The constant showers and sudden breaks of sunlight feel like nature’s own quiet drama playing out. Maybe it’s time we start looking for the beauty between the storms like rainbows waiting patiently to emerge.

This morning was especially breathtaking. A soft fog draped itself across the hills, highlighting the edges of trees, rooftops, and buildings in a way that felt almost dreamlike. The entire landscape was bathed in a silvery haze, the kind of moment you might expect to see in a photograph by Ansel Adams stark, serene, and quietly powerful. It made the ordinary look timeless. There are moments when I wish I had a camera mounted on my dashboard–or better yet, a drone buzzing overhead–just to capture the breathtaking sweep of the landscape as I drive.