Post storm

We had a lot of wind and rain yesterday. We stayed inside all day, burning wood in the woodstove.

Today I ventured out for a walk. My surroundings felt new. Even my body felt new. I’ve been doing core strengthening exercises for back pain and I think it’s helping.

My first stop was the hazelnut. It’s in bloom! I tried to photograph the tiny flowers two days ago but every shot was out of focus. Later I realized I was pointing the iPhone camera into the twigs, confusing the focus. When I framed the flower against the wall of the workshop (almost climbing into the bush to do so), I was able to get these sharp photos of the adorable little magenta flowers. The catkins look quite magnificent too.

Next, I headed down the driveway. A tree had fallen across it in the wind. There is another route for cars around the workshop, so it’s not a big emergency. Sam will cut it up with the chainsaw. It is an old tree, quite hoary with lichen.

Other signs of wind and water damage in the neighborhood: broken mailboxes and washed out culverts. Here’s my first view of the sea, and my neighbor’s mailbox beside itself.

A patch of brilliant yellow-green moss. It really likes the rain. Soon there will be little wildflowers in this lawn?

I spent some time sitting on a rock at the shore. I can usually cross this rivulet at low tide, but today there was a lot of water flowing. I still had plenty of shore to explore on my side. It felt both energizing and peaceful to sit there next to the rushing water, admiring the rocks and the clouds.

Today’s squares, a more spring-like color scheme. With the young tansy leaves in the background.