on the virtues of nerve

There's a lot happening right now.

The kind of happening that involves an audience that might witness me and think what's she doing up there? and I don't get it. That's what I imagine, anyway, when I can't sleep. Or maybe it's that I can't sleep because of what I'm imagining. I'm not sure what comes first.

In early April life presses through the earth speculatively, a front line subject to nature's yea or nay. We see wick green budding among brown and marvel could it be? and the smart ones among us throw salt over left shoulders and knock on wood, because the universe counters brash optimism with unexpected snowfalls.

There's a respect due for that front line. For how bold yet how delicate it is. For how it emerges into a chill, into a lack of guarantees. But it emerges anyway, ready to be noted.

That in itself makes a statement.

+++

Today, show me your spring as well as your nerve.

Comments

[Marcie]

A little bit of emerging spring..and its uncertain questions:
http://visionandverb.com/2010/04/only-questions/

[Lindsey]

Sigh.
So beautiful.
Your words are just so exactly-what-I-was-thinking but didn't-know-it-yet. So simply right. Thank you.

[Puna]

These daffodils in the rain show quite a lot of resistence along with great beauty I think.

http://lifesignatures.org/wordpress/2010/03/march-25-coming-soon-april-showers/

[Taty Spichiger]

Nice Post.
This is my spring
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46664075@N07/4530472178/

[georgia]

simply beautiful.
wonderfully written.

i recently posted a photo that i was not feeling capable of putting words to. so i asked my readers to supply the words for me. they came up with lovely poems with this same type of emerging theme.
http://itsjusthowiseethings.blogspot.com/2010/04/write-to-me.html

[Jen at Cabin Fever]

Spring has not really yet sprung here in northern Vermont! It snowed yesterday and we have a good inch on the ground again. I did get a chance to get out and take a few photos lately of little signs of spring, though.....


<a href = http://www.nekphotography.blogspot.com> Northeast Kingdom Photography Blog </a>

[Jen at Cabin Fever]

Hmmm... leave it to me to mess up an html embedding. Click here rather than the above link.

http://www.nekphotography.blogspot.com

[Victoria]

This post of mine is a couple of weeks old but it's still my spring today.
http://6riddles.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/happiness-is/
Even the basket of eggs part. The kids still have Easter candy :)

And because I love them a bunch and April showers have brought them on...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/6riddles/4517810368/in/set-72157623142075000/

[georgia]

oh, i thought of this, too...
a favorite dickinson quote:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28567264@N05/4516098099/in/photostream/

[Victoria]

Oh! I forgot my nerve!!!
http://6riddles.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/the-italian-girls-are-back/

[giftsofthejourney (Elizabeth Harper)]

I seem to be stuck, lost in the stories of others while my own images spin around in my head ... waiting.

http://giftsofthejourney.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/reading-when-i-should-be-writing/

[melissa]

April means tulips and azaleas blooming in bright colors everywhere!

[Kacey]

Ah, I love spring. It is so alive and welcoming and...well, I love it. Here is a glimpse of my spring:

http://www.wineonthekeyboard.com/2010/04/10/life-in-focus-spring-2010/

[spread your wings]

spring - cool mornings... warm days... glorious in many ways
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/4527894733/in/set-72157623660822030/

[Vanessa]

in my case, all was laid bare here: http://risingtothechallenge.blogspot.com/2010/04/this-is-goodbye.html
...and, though it might seem like a cop-out, it took quite a bit of nerve indeed.

[JoLyn]

Spring means putting away the hot chocolate mug and getting up the nerve to have cold drinks and frozen treats, even though it's not really hot yet. Today I'm having frozen hot chocolate. Want some?

http://www.ayearofhappy.com/2010/04/its-the-grand-opening-of-the-blog-cafe-.html

[GayleV]

I have just felt so inspired by spring. Here are some of my favorites so far this year:
http://www.momandcamera.com/2010/04/13/i-love-forsythia/

Taking blossom pictures takes a lot of nerve--there are BEES EVERYWHERE!!!!!

[Jamie]

I've gotten more nervy about taking pictures of strangers:

http://camerashy.tinycorners.com/index.php?showimage=329

And yesterday I was especially nervy in a way that has nothing to do with the click of the shutter release. Cheers to hoping our optimism won't be made sodden by unexpected snowfalls or mismatched fates or anything of the like -- !

[Kerstin]

Gorgeous words. Befitting for what I experienced yesterday here, pounding around the tulip fields with one, two, three cameras! That takes nerve for me :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kcmartin/4533501557/

[Denise]

My spring:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deniselivingston/4535306750/in/photostream/

[Valerie]

I'm usually a "flashphobe," steering clear of my camera's flash any time I can. And I love translucent flower petals in soft light. But I played around with photographing some tulips in a vase in a dark room. I actually liked the deep shadows. And the dark background made the arrangement of the brightly-colored flowers into an interesting rhythm.

[cigi]

While so many of you long for spring to finally arrive, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will stay just a little while longer. Temps here in the desert reached into the 90s for the first time the other day!

http://instamaticgratification.wordpress.com/2010/04/17/93365/
http://instamaticgratification.wordpress.com/2010/04/17/94365/

[Tracy]

wonderful post, makes me think of how i hope for warm sunshine each spring day.

tiny spring flowers courageously growing among the dead leaves. http://www.flickr.com/photos/31417716@N00/4507478819/

[Maria]

I like this picture of spring and nerve, and I guess I am a fan of dandelions:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/madamemeow/4529511336/

I hope you're all springy nerve!

[Edith]

Spring gives images of both beginnings and endings
http://www.flickhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/22616983@N05/4535368235/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22616983@N05/4535368235/
but you have to hold your nerve and concentrate on the former and not the latter.

[Juju]

I found this baby cactus just this morning, sprouting from an old palmetto tuber, surrounded by rocks. What audacity, what inspiration! So tiny, and so green and brave.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juju-b/4535894395/

[camerashymomma ~ meredith winn]

kate, your words always always ring so true.
thank you for this today.

[wendy jane]

My Spring... http://awebert.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/day-51/