It’s just the beginning

There are no clouds of cherry blossoms in our yard, and we won’t be sitting under any to sip sake and have a picnic lunch. Our single cherry tree isn’t an ornamental one, but a fruit-bearing variety – Prunus avium – so these first blossoms aren’t just something to admire, but are a promise of something even

The writer’s transition from winter into spring

Glossy green leaves, a little bedraggled from winter’s onslaught, form a backdrop for springtime’s advances. New green capsules swell with promise. Every new season is accompanied by anticipation. I watch and wait, although I’m not always sure for what. The gardens beckon but the soil is still too wet to work. Ears strain for the