Spring breathes life

Here in central North Carolina, we are blessed with a wondrous bounty of beauty in spring.  The senescence of winter forced all of us to hunker down, ride out the chill, and contemplate what color t-shirt we will wear once the temperature is just barely above the freezing point.  Now that we have finally packed up our winter belongings for another year (don't forget to put cedar wood in that tub to keep the moths away!), the world has come to life. 

For the first 25 years of my life, I was the most fortunate member of my immediate family in that I was not branded upon birth to be cursed by allergies to many things wonderful, some that are not. 





But, that all changed last year.  I must have been bombarded constantly by the individual yellow pollen wads from the pine trees (literally, it rained out of the sky.  You could wake up in the morning and need to run your windshield wipers to see) and the tiny particles of oak and hickory.  Last year, I could not mow the yard without a mask and sealed goggles, because, god forbid I get one spec in my eyes.  They would literally puff up as though I was the dough boy (or girl).  Because of last year's experience, I thoroughly dreaded this spring, despite the wonderful colors and smells it brings (oh, the honeysuckle!).  The pine trees taunted me as I worked outside, pointing up their new growth as though they were giving the middle finger.  The daffodils came and went....and nothing happened, well, almost nothing.  I made it through this spring with just one encounter, and it wasn't terrible.  I know that it was because we ate better, I got more sleep, and I was just generally healthier than I was last year at this time.

Joseph has been busy, building himself not one, not two, but four sheds over the course of the winter and spring.  He just finished his most recent one (I don't dare call it the last one, because I'm sure it's not!). 

We're going to end up with more square feet of roof area than we are lawn, I guarantee it!  The new shed is providing shelter for our newest kiln.  Joseph was a recipient of the Regional Artists Grant through the United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro, which is going towards the construction of this new kiln.

He’s done all this with the accompaniment of the 13-year peak of the Cicada population (if the player doesn’t work for you, then click here: Cicadas!)

As these lovely creatures fly about in the tree tops and shed their winter skins, I believe everyone is celebrating this season of growth and rejuvenation!