My dearest, checking in again with a post more indicative of my actual mood, of the lovely moment, the beautiful day. After the clouds rolled in there was indeed a spritz, and now skies again are clear. I am really enjoying being back in the building where I lived, where D & I lived, from 1990 to 2005. When we first arrived that spring, in this tiny brownstone oasis, we were so grateful for a tiny patch of garden space. So we set to planting a garden, including trees...

I don't have photos at the moment, too complicated with not being on my computer to download. But I have been standing on the top floor apartment of this building, looking down - and across - on the most glorious of now springblooming trees. Across? Are the amazing "I can see the pines are dancing" cedar deodoras, that in a green way are twin towers rising rising rising how tall will they get? They reach for each other other, dancing limbs reaching, clambering, climbing

And when I look down, there's a cherry tree in full glorious blossom, a Japanese specimen that I had mail-ordered twenty years ago, and one weekday morning before D & I both had to head to the subway to go to work, D excavated & doctored a planting pit in which to set the fragile young tree. And now here it is! In a circular cascading ballgown cloud of bloom

I am grateful that D & I left our marks in such a lovely way on the surroundings
the trees here are mature now, cherry certainly, the cedars - still maturing - how tall will they get?

I live in the country now, and don't have much energy or wherewithal for plantings

But I am so glad that D & I planted so many trees
which are coming up
will I live long enough to see them, in our new place, as canopy?
maybe not

but someone, some creature will enjoy it all the same
even if they're not as lucky as I've been to see the newly planted trees grow up & tall & green & strong
easter bonnets for whole new young families in the gardens
southern magnolia, transplanted, ablaze
cherry blossom tree
that D, one morning years ago,
did the opposite of chopping down
went, at my catalog flower farm behest
on his knees
to plant
and here it is tonight
amazing hoopskirt & parasol
under the watchful green