Walking Iten's Acres: Discoveries December 6, 2014

Cold. Rainy. Windy. A December day at The Acres. Good day for a walk or two. Gus joined me for the morning walk totally oblivious to the weather. He bounces regardless of nature's attempt to slow him down. The little hound whooshes by on occasion trailing who knows what in this water-soaked landscape. Homesteader rushes from door to window to upstair's window to keep an eye on her furry neighbors. Little do they know that they are being spied on by the CIA--Cat Investigative Association. Nosy is as nosy is.
I find this time of year humbling and informative. Surprises arise every fall and winter once the foliage is gone. I have planted so many things in the last decade that I forget where everything is or even if it still is. The vision provided by this season leads to discoveries. Six things so far this year. I have stumbled upon two small iris in places where I had no expectation of stumbling. Now, you know that's proof of senility. The old man forgetting where he put an iris? Impossible--except it is obviously true. The most humbling find occurred in mid-November: a twenty-five to thirty foot tall redbud in the canopy area. Almost thirty feet tall; right by the house; right by where I park the red wagon every day. I've walked by it a thousand times. Didn't notice it. Such powers of observation--stunning, eh? I'll be looking for its blooms in April. How did I miss them? Ugh.
The three other surprises are "understandable" and exciting. Hey, come on. You know I'm the strange old man that gets excited about discovering new flowers. These three were all in shady, tree areas. I can forgive myself for not noticing them. I can even vaguely remember putting them there once upon a time. Under the canopy (okay, under the once invisible thirty foot tall redbud) I discovered a Lenten rose. Small but healthy. Love Lenten roses! And they stay green all winter! And then, way out in the back forty "woods," I discovered another one! An even larger one! Two Lenten roses to hopefully colorfy early 2015. I wonder what color they are? The last find was in the trees. A huge patch of lungwort. Ugly name I know. Petite, beautiful blue, pink, white flowers on the same plant. And in the shade! They, too, stay green in the winter. I knew I had one patch; had no idea another patch was about. And it's larger than the one I knew about. Isn't in amazing how many marvelous encounters with beauty one can have in the starkness of life's journey. I, of course, will still be looking--even on rainy, double-hat days at The Acres. (A stocking hat under a baseball hat in case you were trying to visualize double-hat days). There is never a time in our walk when beauty is not waiting to be discovered. Hope you find some, too. It just takes expectant looking. Promise.