Editor's Note
SAVORING SPRING DAYS by DEBORAH WYATT FELLOWS
photo by Todd Zawistowski
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or a long time, i had two favorite days that aren’t holidays— the summer and winter solstice. Summer is obvious, the longest day of the year, and picture-perfect for celebrating outside as the last color eases away at what seems like midnight. Who could not relish the summer solstice? I love the winter solstice, but not for the reasons so many do—for most, it's that the shortest day of the year means the next day we begin our return to light. Don’t get me wrong. I love that. But the winter solstice for me is about stopping to be grateful for all that the dark mornings and evenings offer my life. Unlike the summer solstice, spent wringing every last glorious moment out of time on the lake or at the beach, the winter solstice speaks to the quiet, the cozy, giving us all permission to sip a cup of coffee, with a book and a blanket, and a fire. The shortest day of the year falls just before Christmas, so tree lights glow against the dark, snow-blown (hopefully) windows. And in the fire’s glow, I always stop to acknowledge this shortest day with gratitude for the peace it brings. But for the last few decades, I have added another favorite day: The day the new leaves pop in spring. We’ve all celebrated the return of green, but there is a moment when the new leaves are so brilliantly green, that if you stand in the woods, it feels like you have landed in the land of fairies. Truly, it is magical. You have to pay some attention because when they pop, they pop quickly—some years the buds looking about to burst linger longer than others. There is no predicting exactly when the leaves will appear, but my
unscientific study says it’s usually in the days around May 7-10. And they don’t stay fairy green for long before they darken into the lush, green forests we all love. Do yourself a favor and head to your favorite trail when you first see the leaves pop. But as this month’s feature “Where the Wildflowers Are” reminds us, there are so many glorious reasons to take a spring hike. The three hikes featured are beautiful any time of the year, but having tips on which wildflowers you will see makes hiking these trails in spring even more wonderful. The wildflower feature is written by our Managing Editor, Allison Jarrell,who went on the three featured hikes in May of 2020, just two-and-a-half months after moving to Northern Michigan from California. Allison, and her dog, Rascal, arrived in the North at the end of February, and she had worked in the office for less than two weeks before the whole staff went to remote work due to COVID-19. So, this young woman, basically knowing no one, went home to her apartment and stayed there. And Rascal learned how to wear a sweater. Allison is a beautiful photographer as well as writer, so as soon as she could, she began getting outdoors. I love the image of Allison discovering forest floors of wildflowers, lush NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S MAGAZINE
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