What do you see when you look outside right now? Take a second to check it out – then come back to me.

Here’s what I see.

A sky of gray, white blue
 clouds, bits of sky,
 like dabs from Monet’s
 paintbrush, poking through;
Bare branches of oak trees, 
 scaly gray/brown alligator bark;
Brown leaves, dried bats hanging
 from  tenacious oaks –“I refuse to ‘bare’ it all in winter”;
Brown leaves, huddling piles
 on the ground, warmth seekers;
Dried yellow grasses, stiff, stoic, looking
 for sun like a sea captain’s wife staring, frantic
 for her husband to return;
Green evergreens and hollies, refusing winter’s chill,
 waiting,  bird shelter;
Water drops, leaving nooks
 and crannies, last stands of ice.

(Weather note: My outside thermometer reads 57 degrees today.)