I hold my breath…
Dare I let go?
Is it really true?
I must forgive Mother Nature for our exceptionally warm October (we needed air conditioning about six days) because now She is blessing us with flurries of snow roiling in the air under the command of capricious, Arctic winds… allowing beautiful tiny flakes to drift by our windows… and surprising us each of the last several mornings with enchanting sprinklings of added snow.
When the weather warmed slightly, our delightful snow, contentedly resting on the ground, began to melt and became partially slushy. But, with the return of cooler temperatures that partial slush turned solid… providing a compact foundation for additional flurries to rest. Yes, that particular type of foundation can be dangerous for humans, but is such a friend to our teeny weeny snowflake friends.
Now to our weeping willow… the weight of snow on its thin branches causes it to bend… the wind blows the snow off the branches and it straightens up. We know we could stake it. We are aware that if we don’t, the trunk could snap. But, we are also aware that if our delicate weeping willow survives bending and straightening and bending and straightening it could possibly provide us with a lovely gnarled trunk. We love trees that display their struggle to survive. If perchance, it snaps? Well… Willows customarily push up new shoots the following Spring. At this moment our baby willow is hanging on… listing a few degrees… but standing proud…
