One thing I can say for Coronavirus is that its timing could be worse. It’s taken away our dinners, our play dates, our singalongs, our cafe visits, but it hasn’t taken away spring.
Since I’m working from home and don’t have to subject myself to my regular commute I get at least a couple more hours a day of playtime, which means I get to spend more time outside. And while every day feels the same, every tree, flower, bush, square foot of soil is different every time I look at it. Having a toddler who scans the ground for anything he an pick up definitely helps you notice. One day there will be a puddle that Boo Boo likes to throw sticks and rocks into, and the next day it will be gone, with tree seed pods in its place, resting on vivid, luscious grass.
Spring is always special, but this year it feels more alive–probably both in contrast to the death that we’re surrounded by, but also because humans are out of the way. The grass is greener, the air crisper, the birds louder, the flowers more colorful, the light more glowing.
Our daily trip outdoors, whether to the park, the cemetery, or just around the block helps us mark progress. When we went to day we did not hear any ambulances–maybe I’ve tuned them out by now–and we saw no airplanes.
While it’s a time of great loss, I will be grateful for the plants and other living things that quietly keep living throughout our times of trouble, and despite the trouble we give them. Some of them are ostentatious, some of them are subtle. Some are from here, some are not. They are all beautiful.
Happy Earth Day. I hope we do her justice some day.
Some New Yorkers have yards! And some of those yards have dogwood trees. Look at these beauts! It’s like they’re waving at you!
It is not spring in a temperate region until you’ve snorted some cherry blossom. I don’t know if this year smelling blossoms might be hazardous to your health in case there are other blossom snorters our there inadvertently expelling COVID-19 onto these lovelies (the CDC hasn’t commented on it thus far). I choose to smell more out-of-the-way blossoms closer to the trunk. Every time I smell the blossoms Boo Boo wants to do the same. You also can’t have spring without lilacs, but we’re still waiting for some of those to get our noses into.
I don’t know your name, but you are delightful.
These little buddies go by many names, according to Wikipedia, including bluebells, blue bonnets and grape hyacinth. They seem to be everywhere!
Some parts of Green-Wood Cemetery are just carpeted with violets. And look at all the different grasses! Even the grass is special!
Speaking of grasses, don’t you want to take a nap on this? This is the freshest grass I’ve ever seen in New York. Probably because it’s growing over one of the fresher graves. Also look at the bulbous tree droppings. What are those?
Ope! More violets! Would it be right to say that it’s a whole bed of them?
I see this tree as full of potential just waiting to burst open. But since I don’t know what the flowers look like I don’t know what tree this is. It’s a beautiful stranger.
Look at this crowd of little flowers! What are they? Their upper leaves are purple and so are their tiny little flowers. They always come in a group.
Here they are up close.What what are these guys? Are they related to the flowers above? Their blossoms are much less shy!
Please Don't Lick the Taxi 
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