Tieton River Nature Trail, Central Washington
green snow, you look weird
better than yellow, but what???
slushy algae ice
green snow by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
winter! there you are,
dancing in, fancy free . . . wood
is wearing snow clothes
snow clothes by Angie Quantrell
Winter, Yakima Valley
three little drops hang
downside up, gazing balls show
sky view around me
downside up by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
seven years it took
from walnut to parent tree
life spark so divine
life spark by Angie Quantrell
photo and art by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Seven and a half years ago, my husband found this walnut (seen in sketch) wedged in a small flower bed at work. Whether accidentally dropped or carried and deposited by an animal, the walnut had that spark of life and sprouted right where it could never survive due to the rest of the surroundings. So he brought me home a baby tree. A BABY baby tree. I was holding a baby tree in my hand, one that would possibly outgrow me if it survived, grow to both amazing heights and depths, and produce hundreds if not thousands of new offspring.
This year, year seven, my husband found a walnut near a fruit tree as he raked leaves to put on the garden beds. Hmmm. And then he realized the connection between the nearby walnut tree and the walnut. He found a total of three, though we’ve been watching every year to see if “this” was the year of harvesting walnuts. We nearly missed it! There could have been more, but we have an active wildlife scene going on here in the pasture.
Each walnut is filled with potential, and the spark of life given from God, to grow, reproduce, and fulfill its purpose. We are the beneficiaries. Shade, leaves, wood, food, beauty.
Life spark.
Our baby walnut tree, which is indeed taller than me, is resting for the winter so it can grow more babies. Meanwhile, it adds a festive touch to the pasture as it wears Christmas lights.
lingering beauty
gleams brightly, clarion glow
frosted in autumn
frosted by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
the rain is sopping
wet; must clip it on the rack,
hang it out to dry
out to dry by Angie Quantrell
photos by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Photo by Angie Quantrell
Dublin, Ireland
where did you come from?
you pretty pinks and purples,
garden beauty reigns
beauty reigns by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
I have no memory of planting these gorgeous garden queens. In fact, the colors are so brilliant the flowers seem artificial. But they are real, bugs and all. And apparently, prolific seeds and all, because these returned from last summer, and the summer before that. My best guess is there must have been some seeds in the packets of wildflowers I once spread hither and yon. They grow crazy all summer, and then by late summer, bam, crowds of beauty.
Joy. My word of the year. I’ve been finding joy, conversations about joy, unexpected joy, memes and verses about joy, joyful thoughts, actual joy, songs about joy, poems, faces that express joy! What a joy!
I took this photo at night with my phone camera. The stars were so brilliant, but it was quite breezy and the sunflowers danced to the rhythm of the wind gusts. Still. The stars were gorgeous pinpricks of light, and the movement of the sunflowers so graceful. I love this photo.
Photo by Angie Quantrell, Yakima Valley, summer night
Love, Laughter, and Life 