The Ravages of Winter

Dear Diary,

With all the melting this last week, the "fall out" from the winter storms is becoming obvious.  My yard is a real mess!  Matt will have his work cut out for him in a few weeks.  Along the roads you can see lots of small tree damage too.  These white birch didn't fare too well.  My grandfather use to say that this is Nature's way of pruning the trees, cutting out the weak so the strong can flourish.  I suppose he is right but it is a sad sight nonetheless.

I rendered this photograph as a painting.  I was thinking of my dear Auntie yesterday since we always went to her house on Easter Sunday for dinner.  She was quite a good painter and would have loved this sort of landscape full of drama and contrast.  She has been gone 18 years and she is still very much with me.