Day 53: Winter Pruning

Bussey Brook Meadow, Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, MA, 6:50am-7:20am
overcast, cool, breezy

An amorphous grey vapor-solid filled the sky this morning, making the sky seem both close and infinitely far away. No visible sun, which is good since I was a bit late.

I have a new way to think about my barbaric off-trail tramping through the brambles and bushes: Winter Pruning! It might be different at other times of year, but for now I can be less guilty about my trespasses: the branches are old dead wood anyway, I'm not destroying habitat. Perhaps the lucky bushes in my path will be extra healthy come spring!

And yes, I did say Winter Pruning. Let's face it: winter is here. I've broken out the down coat, faced my first cold, purchased 3 pairs of gloves on desperately cold last Friday.

Nonetheless, it's nice to find a grove of chatty birds who continue to forage and feed. Chickadees, robins, woodpeckers.

And this orange-brown sparrow creature who crossed my path (2 of them), the birds of the day:


At home I sketched out a tune for looper based on my off-trail tramping, where every step, no matter how careful, ends up snapping several twigs in raucous fashion.

Here's the Snapping Twig Loop: