April has brought tumultuous weather –  from the sweet taste of Summer to the tannins of a lingering Winter.  All of this drama is part of the beauty of an awakening landscape.  It’s Spring in the Midwest, folks, and there’s lots to celebrate. It’s no coincidence that we celebrated…

The water was utterly still, glass-like, and the deepening sky reflected off its surface as the fog rose slowly and tumbled towards the shore. The water made not a sound as the wind fizzled to a whisper, and the lake and the sky and the shore seemed as one, devoid…

Late March’s landscape was celebratory with sweet, blooming treats, from the tufts of cotton candy blooms and spun sugar strands of the Pear and Red Bud to the swaths of candy dots of the blue Vinca and Squill.  Easter is upon is.  A sure and positive sign we were on…

  The weather teetered between lovely and tumultuous as if someone, unknowingly, kept leaning against the light switch.  In a moment, a lovely Spring day became a stormy Winter day, and back and forth it went.  Nature’s apparent confusion would not sully the efforts of a landscape ready to burst…

The sweeping sky reflected in a small Spring puddle collected in a hole in the asphalt.  For a moment, it held the heavens, and the ordinary became extraordinary.  Enchanting nature was again beckoning us outdoors into her captivating and therapeutic realm. Spending time in green spaces has been proven to…

  Spring ephemerals burst forth from the thawing ground as swelling buds adorned the trees. Whether March comes in like a lion or a lamb seems insignificant now, as Spring is well on her way. Along with Spring Clean Ups and Lawn Renovations, we must turn our attention to one…

Like a receding glacier, Winter began to wither and melt, leaving behind a scarred and battered landscape.  Its tenuous grasp was loosening, and its legacy becoming more apparent, but March would surely deliver us unto Spring. Spring officially arrives March 19th, and Winter will be nothing more than a distant,…

  February arrived with sun upon her shoulders and Spring upon her lips.   The distinct and dulcet tones of the bird song was an inclination that the season of renewal is not so very distant as the groundhog predicted. Winter birds, like Chickadees, Woodpeckers and Cardinals are some of the…

Swelling buds and burgeoning bulbs dappled the landscape with the power and promise of Spring.  Soon the muddied, desolate earth would be replaced with color and life, and the barren trees would fill the sky with their lush canopies. In order for trees to leaf out, they must rely on…

The air was thin and brittle, like paper.  It sliced through flesh, wrinkled with every breath, and crumpled under foot. It was as if nature had been wrapped in a thin layer of cellophane, restrained and crinkling with every movement.  It was a bitter and unforgiving landscape that stood stark and…

The clouds descended onto the ground, swallowing the land, tree tops first, and the snow swirled upon the wind before the horizon became entirely blurred.  A wondrous and eerie site.  Winter was beginning to flex her muscle. Winter can be a brutal but beautiful season, chiseled from marble, dramatic yet…

Finally snow! Sugar coated shrubs and lace capped trees refreshed the tired and gray landscape.  And word has it, there’s more on the way followed by bitter temps.  Winter has arrived! As we gaze upon the beauty of Winter from the safety and warmth of home, we ponder nature’s ability…