Wednesday, April 25, 2007

T-Minus: 6 days or so

A few days ago, I was lying in my room staring out the window. I wasn't looking at anything in particular, as I had just woken from a deep sleep and my eyes were merely open for the sake of not being shut. As the thick, swirling fog of sleep cleared from my mind, I began to focus on something that seemed peculiar. The giant, previously bare, May tree of the back yard had many fat blotches of green amid the dull iron-gray branches. Upon realizing what was being seen, I dragged myself out of bed miraculously remembering to pick up my glasses. Slowly, I stumped through early morning sunbeams to my window. Peering through the glass before me, I could see hundreds of little buds on every branch threatening to explode. Each of these bundles are light green and have a very taut husk. Turning the latch, I tried to open the window. After many full-body tugs, it finally sprang open. A wave of fresh early morning air filled my lungs and enveloped my senses. I then spent the next 5 minutes sitting at the window staring at the tree enjoying the morning experience. What a wonderful way to start a day.

A May tree bud right outside my window

I always look forward to the annual budding and blooming our May trees. It always fills me with a sense hope, joy and utter amazement. These trees had undergone a cold winter and had looked sickly, skeletal shadows of their former grandeur. Now, with bundles of hopeful flowers and leaves on every branch, they have already begun the transformation to becoming a full, beautiful gem of nature. I expect these buds will detonate in the next few days as the May tree blooms in the month it is named after each year. It seems that once these trees have welcomed spring with their many flowers and leaves, all the other plants receive the message that it is time to wake up and grow the roses.

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