Today, in honour of Earth Day, I go for a walk and spend some time mostly in the Toronto Music Garden near my home. It's gratifying to find the place coming alive in every corner. And I hate to think that we have snow forecasted for the next few days.
No, I'm not kidding. April Fools Day was 22 days ago. But nature isn't as delicate as you might think either. I'm sure it'll be okay in the end.
When I get to the Music Garden, the first thing that greets me is pink. I'm reminded of a book we enjoyed when my kids were small:
In that book, a girl is looking for a gift for her mother. Mr. Rabbit helps her, in his indirect way, and in the end she gives her mother a most beautiful birthday gift of colour, which she found in nature.
Yeah, I thought of that book today.
Happy Earth Day. Whatever season you're in, I hope you're noticing the colour around you.
beautiful things found in the process of a quiet, sun-filled weekend:
Last weekend, before we got socked with this dumping of snow, we had two days of luscious, gorgous vitamin D. When the days are sunny in February – everyone busts outside. On Saturday I shopped and walked in my neighbourhood, and then later in the afternoon I walked via the beach to have burgers and beers with a friend and the colours tagged along.
A tiny little mitten, no more than three inches high, hung in a tree in the hopes that the owner's grownup will find it:
Down at the lake the sun sinks lower and the colours get richer.
Then, into the park and up towards Queen Street the light softens. I admire it on the giant humanoid tree legs and their snakey tree arms reaching out. Maybe they're reaching out toward the last bit of daylight. Or to spring. Compared to the yellows and oranges down at the beach, I think this muted light is mystical.