#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream
Pussy-Willows in the wetlands
“Pussy-Willow Time
by Robert Frost
That every footprint’s now a pool,
And every rut a river cool,
Are things light vernal hearts make nought of;
For mud time’s pussy-willow time
When tender-hearted bluebirds chime,
And unborn violets first are thought of.”
The noiselessness of outdoors grounds me; I walk toward the river, alone, with Charlie, breathing the clear air down to my toes. The river is high and rippling under a gray cloud cover. Birdsong. Dropping deeply into my thoughts, relaxing, settling. Some raindrops. The mallards in the wetlands, green headed males. A muskrat meets us; Charlie growls. The muskrat skims away. There are golden catkins ornamenting the trees, and pussy-willow in the wetlands. Yes, signs of spring. I have prepared for my morning session with the Farm Pond Writers online. We will write from a prompt about trees. We haven’t met in some weeks. The house is full of workers today; every office full. My daughter has taken over the one I have been using for her work conference. I found another unused nook downstairs and settle in. It’s heartwarming to see familiar faces, hear familiar voices, and share our creative time. It may be some time before we can meet in person. For now, this works. I lead us in a meditation imagining we are in the writer’s studio on Farm Pond, sitting together. In the afternoon I bake pumpkin bread with chocolate chips and then the girls suggest a late walk, so I leave the loaves baking, and we are happily distracted when my daughter stops and gasps–she has spotted two pileated woodpeckers high in a tree! So we watch them until they fly away, feeling we have found a treasure in our late afternoon in wet woods. My pumpkin bread is slightly overcooked. And it’s still delicious. I let my daughter cook the meal. We eat together by the fire. We have this day, and I am grateful.
Farm Pond Writer’s Workshop, online
Plate 111 of the Birds of America by John James Audubon, depicting pileated woodpeckers
“What are catkins for?
Essentially, catkins allow the tree to reproduce. Catkins allow the female flowers to be pollinated as the pollen from the male flowers is blown by the wind.
Once the seeds have developed they are dispersed by the wind to avoid growing right below their parent. The exception is willow which uses insects for pollination rather than wind.”