I enjoy taking part in the WordPress Daily Prompts. My prompt word today is quicken. The Merriam-Webster definition of quicken is to make alive. Here are a few examples of ‘The Quickening of March’ in my area of Southern New Jersey.
A Robin Singing…
Skunk Cabbage Emerging…
Catkins Dangling…
Trees Budding in a Blush of Pink…
Wildflowers Blossoming…
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Early Bird.”
“For this week’s photo challenge, get up early and explore the morning light.”
“Symplocarpus foetidus, commonly known as skunk cabbage or eastern skunk cabbage (also swamp cabbage, clumpfoot cabbage, or meadow cabbage, foetid pothos or polecat weed), is a low growing, foul-smelling plant that grows in wetlands of eastern North America.” ~ Wikipedia
I love this photo I captured of an unfurling skunk cabbage growing beside a creek bed. The early morning light highlights the intense green of the leaves and reveals the texture of the plant in the soft shadows.
Skunk cabbage does have a bit of an odor, but only if you get close enough to break or step on it. I always enjoy seeing its early awakening, a sure sign of Spring.
Sunlight slants through my back windows in the mid-morning hours. This is a favored spot for displaying a vase of flowers. I enjoy the silhouette of the arrangement as much as the actual flower.
In this photo you see a birdbath that is a part of my earliest memories. It was my grandmother’s, and I remember standing beside it, so small that my eyes were level with the rim, trying to resist the temptation to swirl my fingers in the water. My mother had the birdbath in her yard for many years, then my sister had a turn using it. Last night, my sister and I exchanged birdbaths. The smooth sides of the mirrored interior were causing the bees from her hives to slide into the water and drown; there is no rough foothold for them to stand upon as they drink. The concrete birdbath I had in my yard will do a better job as a water source for the bees. Joy filled my heart early this morning, as I peered down from my back window and saw not only the treasured birdbath, but the pastel rays of sunrise reflecting in it’s surface. I couldn’t have planned a more perfect photograph for the weekly challenge.
Betwixt and Between – “Undecided, midway between two alternatives, neither here nor there.” The Free Dictionary
Winter is waning, but still trying to hold us in the grip of its icy fingers. Spring is attempting to become a reality and turn Winter into nothing but a bad memory. Who is winning? I hope it is Spring, but this past week has been a dilly of an example of living in the “Betwixt and Between.”
The sun has begun to shine as if it means business.
The volleyball court at the local park resembles a pond,
The sidewalk resembles a stream.
The skunk cabbages, regardless of the snowy surroundings, are thrusting their folded leaves toward the sky.
Yesterday, after the snow finally disappeared, the crocus opened their golden blooms and the birds began singing “The Hallelujah Chorus.” I am joining in with a few “Hallelujahs” of my own. Welcome Spring, you can’t arrive soon enough for me.
MINDING MY P'S WITH Q 