Pining Away

Living gratefully today, I give thanks for family, faith, friendship, and fun facts.

A special shout-out to my stepdaughter Emily today on her 26th birthday! Have a great day!

My husband Darcy and I took advantage of a beautiful morning yesterday to get out and snowshoe. We are glad we invested in pairs for each of us last winter, and glad we got enough snow in the last couple weeks to be able to put them to use.

We are also fortunate that we live across the street from an 18-hole golf course that sets up trails for skiers and snowshoers this time of the year. I appreciate the land being available for use most of the year and that although we are not golfers, we can enjoy the beauty and space. Thanks to our neighbors! 

I was looking for unique landscape pictures to document our little outing and ended up with 

these two among the several I took: 

I initially called these both pine trees, but then set out to determine what kind of pine trees they are. That search helped me realize that the trees at the golf course are likely a variety of pine, spruce, and fir. They are all coniferous evergreens, so they are major relatives. 

My brief scientific inquiry led me to conclude that the top tree is a spruce and the bottom a pine, but I sure could be wrong. The point really is that nature is an abundance of variety and awe. That's why we try to get out there regularly.

Thinking of pine trees also had me pondering the term "pining."  Missing and longing for the way things used to be before the pandemic. We all likely do some of that. It's human nature. 

"Pining away" can serve a purpose, but I need to keep it brief. Better for me to put my energy into enjoying the evergreens and other wonders of nature as I strive to live fully in this day. Onward!