Nothing Gold Can Stay

Spring this year was more delightful than ever since I paid close attention to it—all the different shades of colors, the different blossoms, the developing greenery. I particularly love how the trees develop an almost imperceptible pale green "fog" at first, then pale green "lace," and finally darker green leaves. The change is very fleeting—it all happens so fast, and then it's over.

As I drove to work every day last month, I constantly thought about one of my favorite poems that was archived way back in the dusty attic of my mind. It is by Robert Frost. Here it is, with photos taken on one of those morning drives: 

Nature’s first green is gold, 

Her hardest hue to hold. 

Her early leaf’s a flower; 

But only so an hour. 

Then leaf subsides to leaf. 

So Eden sank to grief, 

So dawn goes down to day. 

Nothing gold can stay.

And indeed, most of this flowery finery is has already disappeared in favor of more prosaic green grass and green leaves....

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Here are some more photos of spring. Under some of them I've put snatches of other songs or poems that they brought to mind: 

"The road goes ever on and on....." (I think I remember Gandalf singing this) 

I love our winding, hilly Kentucky roads! 

On the lands belonging to the Abbey of Gethsemani

An old abandoned nest surrounded by signs of new life

"I said to dawn, Be sudden; to eve, Be soon;

With thy young skyey blossoms heap me over

From this tremendous Lover!"

Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven

This is my favorite tree ever. I don't know why, but it just totally fills me with delight every time I see it. There's just something about its shape. Here are a couple of other pictures of the same tree in the winter, starkly silhouetted against the sky: 

More flowers, flowers everywhere:

"These are a few of my favorite things...."

A fairyland of white

Both of the above are approaching New Hope, KY. You can see the church steeple poking up through the tree branches. What you can see of the town is almost all there is—seriously!

Here is the view from my window at work

Of course, I had to bring some of the spring cheer inside!