You appreciate food more when you've known a little hunger, and love more after loneliness. It rained this morning. I woke up at four and opened my window so I could hear hear the rain better, and went back to sleep. When I went out to walk this morning, the world was so fresh and clean. Colors looked washed and bright against the darkened wet ground and sky. I thought about tree roots, close to withering and dying like so many have lately. But then . . . a cool tickling moisture . . . could it be? Could there be more? Roots inhaling deeply, taking precious water in, up their trunks and to the tips of their leaves. Trees were saved today. I'm sure of it. Trees were saved and mushrooms were born.
I painted the tree in the picture, perhaps a year ago. I hope this tree is still thriving and taking in the rain of the day. As I think most tree people can tell, it's a nice big California live oak. It grows in a curious little spot that is the tail end of the vestiges of a lost nature park. This spot has been borrowed from the utility that owns the power lines and transformed into a semi-private sanctuary. I'm going back to paint there next Saturday.
Exactly how I felt after the rain. Everything looked better, the hot weather was gone, the ground was damp. I love how you painted the oak and the subtle garden statue. Hope the tree is still there...
ReplyDeleteThere's a fresh sense of water in your painting too. I'm with you on the rain, the glory of the start, the first plip-plops and the inbetween green and buoyant time before the world seems suffused with damp. I write from a world of wet here in Ireland today.
ReplyDeleteOh, I know about that rain - how lovely it is to hear and smell. I do hope it was a relief to the poor withered trees. It was for me
ReplyDeleteBeautifully done!
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