“Aren’t you tired of taking pictures of snow?” asked my daughter Emily with a sigh, after I updated her with the snow and cold report from Central Minnesota. While we were basking in sunshine and snow for Easter, she and Shawn were hiking through wildflowers in 70 degree temperatures in Texas. “It is as it is,” I answered—even though it’s April, even though we had eight more inches of snow on Monday and Tuesday, even though we had single digit temps for three nights in a row this week. “Besides, it’s pretty!” I exclaimed in true Minnesota form.
Texas Bluebonnets by Em Brake
Tuesday morning I woke up, rolled over, and looked out the window at the old Oak tree that was the subject of my first blog post four years ago. 257 blog posts and thousands of photographs later, I’m still not tired of taking pictures and writing about Nature in all her beauty and wisdom, snow or no snow.
The warm sunshine started to melt snow off the roof, and a marimba of icicles formed on the overhang.
The only track through the fresh eight inches of snow on Wednesday morning was the Tamba trail made from her treks to the woods during the two days of snow.
Prickly Pear Cactus by Em Brake
On Thursday morning as the sun rose, a frosty mist rose from the ground, enveloping the trees. Instantly, at two degrees F, frost built up on the branches right before my eyes! It was a spectacular phenomenon! Then, as the power of the sun burned through the mist, the frost fell from the trees.
Rose Prickly Poppy by Em Brake
Minnesota in early April versus Texas in early April. 1200 miles between us. Both places have a plant that represents Hope at this time of year. In Minnesota, the early-blooming Pussy Willow lets us know that Spring is on its way, in spite of the surrounding snow.
In Texas, where periods of drought are common, Hope is embodied in the Rain Lily. It appears a few days after heavy rains in the eastern two-thirds of Texas, as if by magic. The blossoms open slowly at dusk and through the night and are in full bloom by morning.
Rain Lily by Em Brake
‘It is as it is’ has no reference to the past. Four years ago we had temperatures close to sixty degrees here in Minnesota. It also has no reference to the future—the snow will melt in the next couple of weeks when we reach the forties and fifties and get ‘back to normal.’ ‘It is as it is’ embraces the present moment, the present day—whether windchills or wildflowers. Mother Nature has one over on us—she is in control of the weather. But ‘it is as it is’ does not imply that the choices, actions, and occurrences of the past has had no influence on the present situation or climate, and it certainly doesn’t indicate what will happen in the future. The past lays the groundwork for the present. The future is like a clean, fresh palette of snow—where will the tracks and trails go? What kind of magic will appear? What will bloom in the midst of struggles? How can each of us imbue Hope in this world?
Come September, I will be asking Emily how she can stand another day of heat in the 100’s, and I expect she will answer, “It is as it is, Mom.”
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