New Beginnings – The Arrival of Spring

Wisconsin Woods in Spring

Wisconsin Woods in Early Spring © 2015 Bo Mackison

A few weeks into Spring by the calendar and I’m seeing the first hints of green in the woodlands. The forest floor is greening and will soon be a mass of ferns, wildflowers and green ground cover. The early spring forest floor has a brief window of time for its glory. Once the tree canopy shades the ground and the sun no longer than filter through the skeletal branches, the wildflower show will diminish. But for now, we are at the beginning.

Fern Appears

The Ferns Appear © 2015 Bo Mackison

Amidst the leaf litter from last year, green plants and ferns break through the earth and poke above the leaves. I hiked several miles through woodland and admired the hints of green while looking for the first flower of spring (not counting the garden variety flowers nor a few flowering forsythia).

First Wild Flower of Spring - April 11, 2015

First Flower of Spring – Wood Squill © 2015 Bo Mackison

The wood squill  (or Siberian squill) is one of the first of the spring-flowering bulbs to emerge in early spring.  The flower has six “petals” (actually three petals and three sepals) and is less than an inch across. These deep blue flowers will last only few weeks. This was one of the several I saw, the earliest ones to emerge, but soon the scattered parts of the forest floor will be a sea of blue.

 

 

 

 

A Time for Rest and the Gift of “Enough”

Resting on a Bench © 2015 Bo Mackison

“True restfulness, though, is a form of awareness, a way of being in life. It is living ordinary life with a sense of ease, gratitude, appreciation, peace and prayer. We are restful when ordinary life is enough.”
~ Ronald Rolheiser

There are times, even seasons, which necessitate a time of rest. The acceptance of this gift is truly an experience in awareness, patience, and most of all, acceptance.

In the ordinary, there is pause, ease, and the gift of “enough” found in the present moment.

Golden Grasses Under Snow Covered Branches

Tree in Olbrich

What do the trees know?
To bend when all the wild winds blow.
Roots are deep and time is slow.
All we grasp we must let go.

~Joyce Sidman

Thirty One Thresholds – Architectural Spaciousness at the Wisconsin State Capitol

Wisconsin State Capitol

Rotunda of Wisconsin State Capitol © 2014 Bo Mackison

This building, the Wisconsin State Capitol, was once one of my frequent winter hang outs. A perfect place to explore. Spacious. Filled with architectural delights and period art, and recently renovated, it is a beauty.

Perfect in my quest for thresholds, for there are a multitude of nooks and crannies to explore.

Wisconsin State Capitol

Dome, Wisconsin State Capitol © 2014 Bo Mackison

The current Wisconsin State Capitol (the third Capitol building constructed on this site) was built from 1906 – 1917 at a cost of $7.25 million.

Wisconsin State Capitol

Wisconsin State Capitol Interior © 2014 Bo Mackison

Because of financial limitations and the need for immediate government office space, the construction was extended over several years and emphasized building one wing at a time. A time of true fiscal responsibility!

Wisconsin State Capitol

Stairways, Wisconsin State Capitol © 2014 Bo Mackison

The Capitol was constructed of 43 types of stone from six countries and eight states. The exterior stone is Bethel white granite from Vermont – the largest granite exterior dome in the world.

Wisconsin State Capitol

Wisconsin State Capitol © 2014 Bo Mackison

The rotunda is constructed of marble from Greece, Algeria, Italy, and France, plus Minnesota limestone, Labradorite, and Wisconsin red granite.

Wisconsin State Capitol

Marble Beauty in Wisconsin State Capitol © 2014 Bo Mackison

The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2001.

Wisconsin State Capitol

Always Something to See in the Wisconsin State Capitol © 2014 Bo Mackison

I believe that one of the true wonders of this building is there is always something new to see. The architectural detail, the construction, the art — there is always something new to notice with awe and amazement.

Thirty-One Thresholds – A Break in the Clouds, Today That is Enough

A Break in the Clouds

A Break in the Clouds © 2014 Bo Mackison

I should have expected this kind of day to happen, even planned for it.

When I created the Thirty-One Thresholds Project to encourage me to get out of the house and provide inspiration for getting involved in a daily activity, it sounded doable.

There are many places to visit in the Madison area. It is reasonable to expect that I could find a place to go every day. (Though I might have thought a bit more about the effects of weather and choosing outside vs. inside spaces…that is another technical glitch for me to explore another day)

I visited the National Mustard Museum the first day (with the admission that it made the top of the list because of its proximity to my home). One Threshold checked off the list.

Yesterday I managed a cross town trip to Olbrich Botanical Gardens, tempted by the thought of sitting in the tropical conservatory and luxuriating in the green and the warmth. The tropical appeal was enough of a carrot stick. Two Thresholds checked off the list.

Today. Today, though it wasn’t my initial plan, the threshold I crossed was the door of my house as I took Gracie for a pre-sunrise winter walk through the neighborhood. And then the return home after admiring a break in the clouds and momentary glimpse of sunlight.

I did run an errand, so I could have taken a photograph of the double doors of a neighborhood convenience store, but I previously decided that the thresholds of stores, while important, were not going to be a part of the Thirty-One Thresholds. There was also the threshold of the door to the laundry room. Doing laundry is important, too, especially since I needed traveling clothes for the weekend. But again, not a part of the Threshold Project.

So, it was a slower than hoped for day. And since I am boarding an airplane tomorrow morning for a very important weekend visit, I gave myself permission to indulge in self-care. And that is a threshold in itself — knowing when the practice of self-care takes priority.