Portland 2019: Changing Seasons

Standing in our community garden plot

In the past several weeks, the weather has shifted from snow and chilly temperatures to a flush of new growth. The cherry trees have blossomed and started to fade; the giant maples are sending out clusters of flowers; the daffodils are spent and now tulips are opening everywhere. It’s a shift from mossy green to tree-bud green— not exactly the kind of spring I’m used to, but beautiful nevertheless.

We have planted two gardens, one in the backyard and one in a community garden plot, and the black earth is full of tiny seedlings— it’s impossible to tell which are weeds and which are veggies, so they all stay for now. A steady supply of rain this week is making them grow like crazy, filling my head with thoughts of micro green salad in the near future.

Parsley, sage, thyme, and oregano (rosemary is growing around the corner)

Basil seedlings!

Despite spring’s arrival, snow is still readily available. Gary has taken us up to Mount Hood twice recently, once to go sledding, and once to hike/snowshoe on a path through three feet of soft powder. Zach and I have also run into packed-down late-season snow while hiking near Multnomah Falls, where we ended up inching along banks of ice while praying that we wouldn’t slip and go tumbling down the muddy mountainside. The nearby “hills” (I would definitely call them mountains) are still draped in white.

Mirror Lake on Mount Hood

Still, the air is full of birdsong, flowers are opening all around, and the promise of new life stirs my heart. Spring feels like the true beginning of the new year.

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