It is springtime in New Hampshire, the early flowers are in bloom, the birds are singing their mating songs, the ice is melting on the ponds and we are sheltering in place from the Coronavirus.

Living in the time of a pandemic is the strangest chapter of my strange life. I’m grateful that I live in a rural area with plenty of room for social distancing. I went for a walk with my camera without seeing a single person. I like people but for the next couple of months I’ll  settle for online socialization.

The early risers in my garden are my Lenten Roses (Helleborus orientalis). They are not roses, but do appear in the Lenten season. They are showy, and were unaffected by our late March nine inch snowfall.

Flowers of the Japanese Butterbur (Petasites japonicus) poked through the snow. This plant is invasive and has been spreading outward from the original planting. I don’t mind because the ridiculously large leaves are something to see and the flowers are just plain weird.

The Smithville reservoir is just a short walk from my house. I noticed that some of the ice had melted into strange sausage shaped forms. This was something I had not seen before.

Getting My Ducks in a Row

I spied a family of Mallard ducks making their way in the open water of the reservoir. The remaining ice sheaf makes it appear they are in a fog bank.

Solace in Nature

I suppose the novel coronavirus is part of the natural world,  and so are ticks and lots of other unpleasant things. I’ll seek out flowers, birds and things of beauty which will comfort me in this sad chapter of our life’s journey.

“Stay socially distant but spiritually connected” – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo