December 11th, 2022

The garden is covered by snow and slush, and I've been out exploring. There are beautiful things I've never noticed before, like the bluish bloom on young boxelders in winter. The linden trees by Confluence Pond had different colored branches. The new wood and buds on one were the most beautiful red. Another's were much shorter and brown.

Out walking, I met a woman who carried a little bag filled with ornaments. Every day, she gave one to passersby to hang on trees along the road. I think that must be a very happy way to spend a life, or at least to decorate for Christmas.

Today, my pockets are full of redbud pods and I got three packets of strawberry seeds in the mail. The juniper fruit by the pond looked so beautiful, I took home a handful and put them in boiling water. I thought the tea would taste magical, but it tasted almost like nothing at all. So I ate the fruits themselves, and they were good and fresh and sweet.