Soaking in the green
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I post a picture and just a few words.
The other day when we were at the pool, I was noticing all the beautiful green that surrounds us right now. It's kind of hard to imagine that in a few months, it'll all be brown and gray.
When it gets to be about February, I get so used to the brown/gray thing, I can hardly remember what it's like to live in a green world. Sometimes in the winter, I come across a summer photo from my files and the green is almost shocking to see.
And then I wonder why I didn't appreciate it more when it was here.
So: I'm in full green-leaf-appreciation mode right now.
And then I'll be in colorful-leaf-appreciation mode.
After that: a countdown to the longer, warmer days.
(because I have a difficult time getting into cloudy-cold-and-short-day appreciation mode. Is that even a thing??)
On December 22nd, I'm always all, "Ooh! The shortest day of the year is here. We're on the way toward spring now."
So, you know, the hopeful countdown to spring starts not too long after the days of colorful-leaf-appreciation. 😉
But for now: All Of The Green.
Pay attention! Soak it in!
I often joke that I'm solar powered and am in my full stride come July. 😉 I thought the same thing as I'm watching the corn and soybeans all around our farm turn golden. This very same corn with dark green leaves that I would hear rustle on the hot summer days. I do love the beauty of fall and the joy of harvest. However, I'm trying to go into the winter with a new appreciation for fresh snow, a mug of hot tea each evening, and the time of rest that winter brings on the farm. Just think...after December 22, we add almost 2 minutes of daylight to each day! 🙂 For today, let's soak in the green (all be it dry right now) and the end of summer sunlight!
That's exactly what I tell myself every day after December 22nd!
Yes....yes. I've been thinking all these same things lately. Maine winters are so long. I'm holding on to every single bit of summer that I can. If only I could bottle it all and pull it out when it seems like winter will never, ever end.
I'm usually ok until after Christmas. It's a good thing Christmas is in the middle of wibter, gives me something to look forward to! But here in Seattle, we still have lots of green (it is the evergreen state!) and little snow. For me it's the shorter days that are the hardest. When it's dark by 4:30 I have a very hard time being positive.
Yep. I think the short days are the hardest part for me.
I live in an area that has very few trees so our green usually only lasts about a month or two. What really gets me in the winter is when it is dark when I get to work and dark when I get home.
Funny, you sound like my husband. Dec 22 is his Favorite day of the year cuz
the days start getting longer!
I'm jealous - it's so brown here. We've been in semi-drought mode. But last night we got RAIN! 🙂
Green is my favorite color so I am always paying attention to the green. Spring is the best time for green lovers as the shades from very light green to darker green in a matter of weeks. I agree that it's good for Christmas to be in the middle of winter but I have been hosting a February Volleyball Party in the Snow for a couple years now and that helps the longing for summer start a little bit later. Planning the party and being excited for that lessens the impact of our long long long New York winters.
I thought I was the only one who eagerly awaits spring almost before Winter starts!
Here in California everything is dry and brown, especially this year because we are not allowed to water lawns or decorative plants due to the drought. Most trees are still green except our huge paper bark birch which is the first harbinger of fall--our lawn is covered with leaves and the tree is about 75% bare already--the other trees have not yet begun to turn (as a consolation, our tree is the first to show signs of spring as well).
I was driving through the Sonoma Valley today. The hills are dry and brown but the vineyards are verdant and lovely. The harvest is underway, about 1/3 done. The weather is HOT--104 today and will stay mostly hot and dry through October. This is how the grapes ripen, so we shouldn't complain, but the fire danger is palpably high.
When (if) the winter rains come, that's when it turns green here and beautiful. Frosts are mild and intermittent, so we can have some winter crops. The hills turn emerald green and the beauty is indescribable. To me, the early part of the year is the most beautiful. But when the grape leaves turn, it's as close as we get to fall color, and that is beautiful, too.
I just returned from a trip to the Southwest where things are brown most of the time. You really appreciate a little green when you see it there. But the shades of browns and reds are beautiful too. But yes, I think its the dark of the long nights that I dislike the most.
Good thinking, Kristen!
Totally on the same page as far as liking the bright season much better than the darker. We can just be glad we don't live closer to the pole, i.e. Alaska, Northern Canada or Scandinavia; they get about three months of pretty much dark. Brrr... ! Now the midnight sun in June I could handle... 🙂
We'll just have to keep a cheerful attitude and enjoy all the blessings we can find. Someone mentioned a hot cup of tea... yeah! Candles and baking are also enjoyable.
So I am not the only one who is happy to announce to their family 3 days before Christmas that winter solstice is here and the days are getting longer? Thank you Kristen! I thought I was alone in the joy of longer days and light. I do get a little sad when summer solstice arrives in June.
But agree, love the green and colors.
I've enjoyed this post and Ingrid's comment about being thankful not to be in the far north in winter. I live in Alaska and it can be hard with the short daylight in winter. And yes we love love love our long summer days!! As the leaves are mostly yellow now and starting to fall, I am trying to enjoy all I can before winter sets in.
I'm usually ok till after Christmas. January and February especially seem so interminably cold and dark after the Christmas lights get packed away! I'm definitely the girl that prays every year that God never wants us to move further north than our mid-Atlantic home, because there is not enough hot tea in the world to keep me warm in that case!
Hi Kristen, Its still green here but the berries are starting to come on the trees and bushes and by about November most of the trees will have red and yellow leaves on them (which are very pretty). But the nights are drawing in and its dark by about seven now. I hate it when we have to walk home in the dark. I really do think we should hibernating winter brrrr xx