Lipstick

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." Charles Dickens

The sun was shining today....but the wind was howling all day long reminding us that winter is hanging on.

I took this photo late yesterday afternoon looking into the foggy woods from the patio. It was warmer than usual so felt a little like spring.....and we're starting to see actual ground under the snow and the birds seem to be celebrating.

This back and forth is so typical of March...and rest assured there will be more winter. But we also can feel the anticipation of spring. 

I love the layers of moody grays created by the fog.

All the blooms on the second amaryllis stem have come full circle and are in total wabi-sabi glory. I have loved watching the process.

I cut the last of the blooms off...and will keep them for a while as a reminder of the beauty of the circle of life.

And I noticed something really intriguing that I didn't notice with the first stem.

Sorry for the blurry photo...but this is the TOP of the stem where I cut the blooms off. It's interesting on its own. It's thick and sturdy and hollow like an oversized straw.

And this is the BOTTOM of the stem that was sitting in the water.

Somehow the very end of the stem that was sitting in the bottle of water turned bright cherry red. Looks like lipstick. I would have thought some of the color would have transferred to the water...but it was clear. 

It seems like the stem was pulling the color from the blooms as they dried and trying to transfer it back to the bulb....which wasn't there anymore. 

Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me.