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Pleasant surprises
On a mid-January visit to the Oak Point Cemetery near Longview Washington, I was surprised and pleased to find snowdrops and daffodils starting to assert themselves through an insulating cover of winter leaves. It was a bit early, and I'm grateful for a mild winter, even though snow is in the forecast. Finally, truly, really, the light returns. The plants know it!
It turns out I have an ancestor from Ireland as well as ones from England, Scotland and Wales. So let's celebrate Imbolc, a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of spring! Traditionally held on 1 February, it lands about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. I'm delighted to discover crocus, tulips, hyacinth, daffodils, sedum and other perennials peeking up through leaves in my own yard. "Bríd Bríd, come in; thy bed is ready."
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