Springtime

Ginter Garden Flower

I did a quick trip to Ginter Garden yesterday. The trees are filling out with their green, oxygen-giving leaves and the tulips were in full bloom. I put the day’s news behind me and sat on a bench in the woods to watch the leaves grow; a gentle breeze, waving branches with the sound of quiet voices as passersby walked by my bench. I thought of the times when I was “young,” well, younger and asked myself why older folks sat on benches a lot. Ha. Now I’m one of them and I finally get it.

Pollen is a challenge. Taking a deep breath was a dare to my lungs to not cough! Maybe I should have worn a mask. I was going to change lenses until I saw my camera was coated with pollen and changing lenses would expose the innards to the springtime storm of yellow dust. I decided to just enjoy the moment. I’ve been waiting for the trees to bloom, I’ve missed my time with them and look forward to more bench time in the future.

Time in the woods is more difficult here in Richmond than in DC and the surrounding suburbs. DC is a city of trees and parks and that theme is continued in the ‘burbs. Trees and fields and water are here in the Richmond area, in abundance, but most are private. We don’t have parks close to where I live (15 miles west of Richmond), in fact, there are no parks, schools or libraries in the eastern half of my county. We have a small stream in my community and the stream has thin strips of trees but not many benches. Still, I’m thankful for them.

The pollen will lessen in a few weeks and I’ll be able to change lenses without pollen worries. I’m determined to spend more time enjoying the trees. I’m reminded of J.R.R. Tolkein’s Ents, the shepherds of trees who became more and more like the trees they cared for. Hmmm, not a bad thing.

A walker and a bench in Ginter Garden