The beauty, the splendor of bare branches is
sometimes missed by its seeming simplicity.
Each limb holds its own grace and strength,
and yet the union of each to one single trunk
magnifies and signifies the greatness of ONE.
Extremely quiet . . . but the softness of each branch
is hardened by the stark shadows
randomly thrown across the landscape.
Extremely harsh … yet the sweetness of each
tiny dance wipes away the bitterest tear,
the coldest heart.
As I breathe in winter’s air, the tree’s wholeness fills me,
and I am lifted to the highest, lightest, tightest bud,
ready to burst.
Beautifully true.
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Thank you, Cindy. So grateful to see the beauty in simplicity.
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Beautiful photos and poetry! Well done!
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Thanks, Mark. I’ll whine and complain about the winter, but then when I stop and look…. Oh! There! This is what winter is. 🙂
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Beautifully photographed and described. Enjoy your break
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I particularly lucked out with the bluebird on the snowy tree, Derrick. That was a special gift from Mother Nature. 🙂
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Lovely, Pam. Enjoy your break!
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Thanks, Jill. Loved your interview with Barbara. Hmmm, a blogging get-together. Wouldn’t that be fantastic?
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Enjoy your break, Pam. I loved your words and photos. ❤
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Thanks, Jane. To opening doors with no bundles of expectations in our arms. Just BEING. xo
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Enjoy your ‘BEing’, Pam. I need to take a leaf out of your book. ❤
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Haha. Very good. 🙂
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❤
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Enjoy….and be sure to bring some of that warmth back with you! Safe travels, friend xo
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I’m hoping my bare branches will be a bit browner, for sure. 🙂
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Beautifully expressed, Pam. Enjoy your break!
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I aspire to be a poet like you, but not sure I have the patience. But I DO learn so much for you, Merril. xo
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Wow! Thank you for that, Pam! ❤
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Hope to “see” you soon, Pam. It’s cold here this week, but last week’s 60 degrees forced some buds on some of our blossoming trees!
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I worry about the buds who get confused when we have an aberrant warm weekend. Last year I remember when the (daffodil) bulbs started coming up in mid-January until WHAM, snow storms in February and March killed them off. I hope the buds stay tight until real spring arrives.
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What a beautiful way to imagine winter’s harsh preparation for a beautiful spring. Stay tight, high and ready little buds!
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Hi Lauren. YES, I need to remember the tight beauty of this season so I can get through it with grace, and then jump for joy when those buds blossom. 🙂 LOVE seeing you here. ❤
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Lovely photos, inspiring words. Enjoy your break.
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I’ll have to avoid the pineapples when baring my branches while on break…. 🙂
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😊 Be careful, but do enjoy!
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Well, I’m quite brave with the pineapple-coconut muffin, I’ll tell you THAT! So brave, I try it every day while away. 🙂
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Beautiful poem captures thoughts of winter…. so ready to be done with all this cold. But we are beginning too see some hopes of Spring already. We will have daffodils soon. They are always my first glimpse. Stay warm my friend! ❤
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DAFFODILS? Far into my future, I’m afraid. But, I’m hoping to visit a friend in Austin in early April. My bones can get warmed a bit then, since Spring doesn’t arrive here until May 1. Hey, when you catch that first glimpse of bright yellow, think of me, will you? ❤
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You betcha!
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Beautifully written and paced Pamela, and I love your photographs. Enjoy your break. I am just back from an extended one.
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I know, we missed you Brigid. And now we get to see how your garden grows. ❤
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Beautifully lyrical and emotive, Pam, and I love the photos. Have a great break and we’ll catch you on the other side!
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I’ll think of you Amy as I visit our favorite place. ❤
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A sweet way to look at winter’s waiting.
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I’m not sure I could write about bare branches so lyrically if I didn’t know of the Spring to come. 🙂
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Beautiful and so true. Enjoy your break from the bare branches!
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Thanks, Dale. I’m hoping to enjoy some greenery for a bit of a change. Then back to a snowy landscape until…what? End of April if we’re lucky.
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Harsh . . . and sweet too! You caught the feeling in words and images.
On my street, leaves fall off one week, and (no kidding) buds begin appearing 2-3 weeks later. Why is nature in such a rush in Florida.
Enjoy your blog break. Sometimes a body (and brain) needs it! 🙂
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I’ll tell you, Marian, there are many days I wouldn’t mind if our bare branches were in as much of a rush as your FL trees! 🙂
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I love this poem. It makes me think of family. No wonder it is called the family tree.
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How wonderful that this poem makes you think of family. Shows how much you love and value family, and all it gives to you. Yes, that’s a good thought – why it’s called a “Family Tree.” ❤
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I just love this line especially. “Each limb holds its own grace and strength, and yet the union of each to one single trunk magnifies and signifies the greatness of ONE.” xo
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Beautiful, Pam. Winter branches, especially when frosted with snow, are lovely, but those flowering spring branches… divine. Enjoy your break!
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I often think of chocolate cake frosted with white icing when I see trees after a snowstorm. You can see where my mind goes… 🙂
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Ha. Save that for a character in your next book. 🙂
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Pam, a beautiful poem … it’s in the union of the extreme opposites that there is strength and life!
Wishing you a lovely break … hope all is well with you!
hugs xx ❤️
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Annika, you are one of the bloggers who show me the importance of taking a blogging break now and then. A little reprieve, but I’ll still be reading blogs like yours – they make me smile and think all at the same time.
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Absolutely beautiful! Enjoy your break! 🙂
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Thank you, Linda. Seeds of hope within those bare branches…
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Pam, Bare branches are especially beautiful this time of year. I can almost feel and smell the crisp, clean air. I don’t know why there is always something extra quiet and peaceful with snow on the ground and yet the bare trees still shelter us. Your beautiful words and photos capture the calm moments before Spring arrives. Enjoy warming up your bare branches.💕
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I don’t know the science either-but the best part of a snowfall is walking through the snow and hearing that amazing miraculous snow silence. And the tree branches welcome that snow with open arms. 🤗
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Beautiful words and rhythm to this Pam. There is such grace, beauty, and simplicity in bare branches. I’m reading a great book called The Overstory by Richard Powers about the awesome aliveness of nature, especially trees and their connection to everything. Enjoy your break!
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I have heard several people talk about reading The Over Story. Now with your comment here I know I shall get the book ASAP! 🌳
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It’s a long but interesting read. 🙂
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Lovely — and like the spring, when you come back, your words will bud and blossom and once again, the beauty of it all will illuminate my path.
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Awwww, thank you Linda. how I love the idea of my words growing roots and my stories blossoming in the hearts of others. ❤️
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Beautiful, Pam. Have a good break.
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Thanks, Mary! I’ll be back soon…
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There is something so beautiful about the bare branches. You captured it well in the poem and love the pics. Have a good break!
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Thank you!
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So Lovely, Warrior Princess! ♥
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We warriors know how to climb bare branches and write stories that bare the soul. ❤
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And this is what I was just talking about in my earlier reply to you, Pam. Your writing is exquisite. Enjoy your break. You’ll be missed!
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Wow – thanks so much. I’m giving my writing insides a short break and I feel guilty for doing so. But I think we need this now and then. xo
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Lovely. Have a nice break.
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Thanks, John. The break is helping me breathe deeply for a long time!
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Strange!! I have written about bare branches… they are so evocative! Lovely thoughts Pam, I must share mine.
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I’m not surprised, Balroop. There is something so poetic about trees, bare AND full of leaves. xo
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Lovely photos (I especially like the one with the wee little blue bird). Enjoy your break!
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The bluebird brings happiness – just by spying her resting on those snowy branches! ❤
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Lovely, Pam…
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Thanks, Bette! “Happy” February. A delightfully short month for those of us in winter country. 🙂
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Well done, Pam. I love the description of the branches being individual but all part of one bigger being.
Beautiful words to go with beautiful pictures. And I love the header image!
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Thanks for the compliment, Anneli. I always love your header photos – you’re an amazing photographer. Trees can teach us humans so much! xo
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Tnx, Pam. Trying to get through the winter. Quilting retreat coming up next week, and after that, I hope it will be spring.
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I always love reading about your quilting retreat! I’m on my February retreat but I know that when I return, winter will still be hanging on…and on…and on. xo
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It’s good that I’m going so I can have something interesting for my blog posts soon. Don’t worry. Spring is just around the corner. If I only knew which corner.
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Haha. A F A R corner in my case. 🙂
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How beautiful! I love trees full and bare. That little bluebird on the branch is 🥰.
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For some reason, the older I get, the more I’m in awe of trees. Maybe because I spend more time just stopping and looking at all of the miracles in Nature. ❤
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Same here.
Also, the older I get the more I appreciate anything that symbolizes peace and tranquility. And with trees there’s a bonus: beauty. 😌
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This is very beautiful, Pam. I love bare trees silhouetted against the sky.
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I do as well, Robbie. Something so soulful about a tree reaching up to the sky, not asking for more than to feel the sun and the rain and the stars.
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enjoy your pause!
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Ahhh, the pause that refreshes. That’s the intention, and so far, so good. xo
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Oh Pam, what a lovely poem and photos, too! Trees fascinate me any season of the year. Have a terrific break.
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There is a reason that many poets wax …. poetic…. about trees. 🙂
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Winter is tough, yet seeing the beauty in the so-called ordinary and finding some softness in the cold outdoors is glorious. Enjoy your blogging break, Pam.
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Winter can be SO harsh, and I struggle with it until I stop. Listen to the silence as the stars sparkle on the snow. And then I realize that winter has its own spectacular beauty.
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Perfect words and imagery for a cold, wintry day, Pam. I hope you find some warmth on your break. 🙂
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YES! My bones (and soul) are warming up. 🙂
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A beautiful story and images combined! ❤
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Thank you Debby! XO
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My mom was always a lover of trees. She liked to sketch them, and when I was growing up, I did too. When I was studying Chinese brush painting, I studied the shapes and orientation of branches. There’s nothing like sketching and painting to make you appreciate the details and beauty of nature. That said, living in the Pacific Northwest with so many evergreens, for many years I barely noticed the bare branches of deciduous trees.
Enjoy your break.
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You’re inspiring me to take a drawing class and use trees as my subject! 🌳
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Enjoy your break, Pam. How I do love that little blue bird.
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Wasn’t she sweet to pose like that on the snow-covered tree? 😚
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Indeed! Sweet and thoughtful. 🙂
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While driving along a road with bear branched trees on either side, I said to God that though they may look dead ….I know that they are alive and well . At rest with their roots solid in the ground. Awaiting their time to bloom again.
May I always have my roots solid in the ground. Never to look dead on the outside, but show my love of life on the outside always to be in bloom.
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Wonderful perspective, Joyce. To your blooming joyful beauty!
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You have amazing bluebirds where you live… I wish the UK bluebirds had as much blue on them and were larger. They are also so rare to see now.
We often take winter branches for granted… not really noticing them until the beginning of spring. But they are special indeed, and make great art and photography out of the sky… especially when it snows! Love your pictures and your thoughts Pamela, on bare branches and trees, gorgeous!❤️
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A compliment from you regarding my photography goes a long way! I don’t have your skills, but definitely love to look at the snow on bare branches, AND the birds as they enjoy our birdfeeder and suet. Bluebirds are a sign of luck, so when they settle near us (a rare occurrence) we celebrate. 🙂
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I LOVE trees in all seasons. Whether they are full of green leaves, red ones, blossoms or no leaves at all, they always capture my attention.
Your ode to branches bounces against our recent immersion in the land of the bonsai where branches on trees large and tiny are guided, supported, manipulated, such that the branch reaches its fullest expression. Love the first photo with the web of branches against the sky.
Peta & Ben
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Bonsai has always captivated me. The care given to treat the tree lovingly as it’s guided to a certain shape and size is amazing. However, I must admit I most like trees that are allowed to express themselves in their own way. 🙂 The first photo I just ran outside and looked up and took the photo as soon as I finished my poem. ❤
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I agree about the beauty of bare branches, Pam. Your prose is lovely. Hugs.
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YOU are lovely, Teagan. Thank you! Let’s keep floating with the breeze and playing like leaves….
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A beautiful ode to trees (and life) – the magnificence of the individual branches, the greatness of the whole, and the rebirth that emerges at the end of winter’s chill. I hope you enjoyed your time away.
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Yes, trees ARE life! xo
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