Shelter in Place, San Francisco, February 16, 2021

I had prepared myself to sacrifice the rhododendron we have nurtured for a handful of years; I assumed it could not survive the felling of the tree above it. However, the careful lowering of every severed branch not only saved the plant last week, it spared the rhododendron’s just-emerging flowers. This is the first spring we’ve gotten a crop of blossoms from this juvenile bush grown big enough to claim its space, and I am so grateful to be able to enjoy this new and cheerful sign of spring.

To all of you suffering under bitter winter’s bite today, this week… this bud’s for you. Spring will come again, I promise.