As we descend into the despair of . . . brilliant green hillsides, fragrant verdancy . . .
Okay, so most of my hemisphere is preparing for several months of dormant slumber. Leafless trees, skeletal shrubs, dead grass.
Here, and in other places with a Mediterranean climate, we have the dark skies, but -- the dormancy, not so much. we do have a fair number of trees and shrubs that have that winter-deciduous thing going on, but the things that are native to here, or that migrated from other Mediterranean climates, are gearing up for their most productive days.
The hillsides are green already, which is funny, because there have been only two storms so far this rainy season, and no rain for two weeks (I think). On the hill I have to walk up to go to work, the annual grasses are almost a foot (a third of a meter) long. (The metric equivalents are because I'm tired of using archaic measurements but I have to think about using the modern ones that everybody in the world uses but us, so I try to keep in practice) That hill, by the way, smells delicious, because of the active plant life, largely river willows, growing there. The dirt has darkened and will stay dark till May. Laurel Hill is pretty well all artesian, so it's ahead of most of the rest of the place.
I know that strictly speaking it is not winter, and in fact it was quite warm today (80F/27C), but I have the winter thrill in my blood already. Green green green!
And I love the quality of winter light. I just wish there was more of it.
Here, and in other places with a Mediterranean climate, we have the dark skies, but -- the dormancy, not so much. we do have a fair number of trees and shrubs that have that winter-deciduous thing going on, but the things that are native to here, or that migrated from other Mediterranean climates, are gearing up for their most productive days.
The hillsides are green already, which is funny, because there have been only two storms so far this rainy season, and no rain for two weeks (I think). On the hill I have to walk up to go to work, the annual grasses are almost a foot (a third of a meter) long. (The metric equivalents are because I'm tired of using archaic measurements but I have to think about using the modern ones that everybody in the world uses but us, so I try to keep in practice) That hill, by the way, smells delicious, because of the active plant life, largely river willows, growing there. The dirt has darkened and will stay dark till May. Laurel Hill is pretty well all artesian, so it's ahead of most of the rest of the place.
I know that strictly speaking it is not winter, and in fact it was quite warm today (80F/27C), but I have the winter thrill in my blood already. Green green green!
And I love the quality of winter light. I just wish there was more of it.