>So far, Spring has brought few changes to the land around my house. My larger trees, the sycamore and the walnut, are naturally late to bud so they are still looking pretty naked. The dogwoods aren’t noticeable except close up. There is a faint tinge to the redbuds–it won’t be long before they start flashing their fabulous pink blossoms. And the daffodils have finally opened, so there is a bit of yellow here and there. But out in the woods–not so much. The stems of the wild roses have turned red, so we know something is going on there. And some of the bushes have new shoots and tiny leaves. But for the moment, when Bhikku and I take our daily walk into the pasture and down the hill to the creek, we’re still unimpeded by the dense growth that I know will slow us down in just a few weeks. At the moment we have our choice of paths, some that are natural, some that I blazed, some that we owe to the deer who wander unthreatened in my woods. And Bhikku easily moves from one to the other, by ducking under bushes, across streams, up steep embankments, as if we’re in a huge maze and only he has unlocked its secrets. He has the upper hand paw, but come Summer I’ll be armed with my pruning shears just in case the labyrinth becomes too much for us both.
