With this deep freeze we’ve had, I can get to places that I normally wouldn’t be able to see. It’s been marvelous to explore the frozen swamps, streams and ponds around our house – where during the summer I’d sink in mud, and be covered with poison ivy and deer ticks. The other day, when I was snowshoeing, I found a swampy area that was filled with tip ups – or the root systems of big trees that are “tipped up” when the tree falls. These forms are especially stunning when there is a backdrop of snow, so the contrast between the dark roots and soil is amplified. There’s a drama to these forms that comes from roots – the fundamental physical and metaphoric connection to the earth – being not enough to hold a tree up in the face of a storm. It’s a cautionary tale about the need to grow in the right spot, and yet its beautiful to see these sinuous root forms and how they mass around themselves, hold rock and soil, and in some cases still support new growth after a fall. In a culture that fears falling immensely, it’s wonderful to witness beauty, resilience and new growth that result from a fall.
