It’s been relatively
cold this winter in Tokyo. It always
seems cold to me I guess, but we have had a couple of months when the
temperature hasn’t risen much above 40°
(F). It doesn’t get much below freezing either, but with wind and rain that can
be a miserable temperature for a transplanted Floridian. And like Florida
summers it sometimes seems to go on for a really unreasonable amount of time.
So, being basically an optimist, I am always on the lookout
for change. Today I was surprised by the
sight of evidence that winter will end and spring will come. The plum tree is
on the side of the building facing the alley and when I went to throw something
into the trash, I saw two blossoms had opened, and many more are about ready to
burst.
When I was researching kamon to put in my Japanese Memory
Quilt I read
somewhere that the
plum blossom is a symbol of perseverance because it blooms when it is still
winter. I liked that idea so much, I decided I would make block with a plum
blossom kamon in the quilt. It reminds
me that I need to persevere; flower when it still seems to be winter, spring
will surely come.
So, being basically an optimist, I am always on the lookout
for change. Today I was surprised by the
sight of evidence that winter will end and spring will come. The plum tree is
on the side of the building facing the alley and when I went to throw something
into the trash, I saw two blossoms had opened, and many more are about ready to
burst.
When I was researching kamon to put in my Japanese Memory
Quilt I read 
2 comments:
The plum we planted to celebrate our first daughter's birth has bloomed on her birthday for the last 46 years. So far this year there is not a hint of color. The Japanese newspaper said the blooms were 15 days behind this year so five more to go... I am SO ready for spring!
Hi, I found your blog via Julie Fukuda, and will add you to my list. A lovely photo of the blossom, I always marvel at the way nature shows us the next season is coming closer. Here in NZ we have rain, gale winds, and winter approaching. Cheers from Jean.
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