My kitchen windows look out on the orchard, and it's a view I love all year long. But I especially like it in the winter. I look forward to bringing in armloads of branches in late winter, and watching the blossoms open up in the warmth of the house.
When the leaves are off the trees, I can see through the orchard to the chicken coop and the pasture, and beyond the windbreak of fir trees to the farms north of us. I love this more open view of our little valley, one I don't see from these windows the rest of the year.
But lately when I look at my trees, all I see are the suckers shooting toward the sky. Straight whippy branches that are eager to grow tall and snatch all the sunlight for themselves. I don't want 'em. But it's been cold, or raining, or cold and raining, since Christmas, and tackling a dripping wet orchard just isn't my idea of a good time.
Today turned out to be one of those mid-winter days that hints of the spring that's just a couple of months away. It was supposed to rain most of the day (nothing new). But after breakfast as we caught up on e-mail and played with the kitten, the sun suddenly broke through the clouds and lit up the room. I jumped up to look. There were lots of dark clouds all around, but the sky overhead was clear and blue.
So we changed our plans. Dave headed out to work on the truck (it's getting new shocks and struts), and I hauled out the pole pruner and started in on the orchard trees. It felt great to be outside on a day warm enough to work in just a sweatshirt and jeans.
Today was a gift.
A sunny day in the middle of a PNW winter is indeed a gift!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lovely setting.
ReplyDelete