Suddenly Shade!

Last week (yes! only last week) most trees were still delicate traceries silhouetted against a slowly greening land.

I was actually worried. Where were the leaves?

Yet there were positive signs. Warmer temperatures prompted me to (at last) put my snow shovels back into the garage. Every day color popped back into the landscape – grape hyacinths, crocuses, tulips, daffodils – and, next door, my neighbor’s irises. It was like that moment in The Wizard of Oz when things went Technicolor.

 But so very few leaves.

 There were buds and hints of foliage.

 On the great maple that stands in front of my house, chartreuse clusters were surrounded by mahogany somethings. Today the latter, which yesterday were outlines – mere potential -- have finally exploded.

The outlines have been filled in. Looking out my study window I see them unfurled. The leaves are back! Already the mahogany is beginning to fade to green.

 And suddenly we have shade as well as shadow.

 And just in time. Just in time.

 Amen.