Foggy Photo Essay

More often than not, this is the debate that goes through my head as I prepare to leave the apartment in the morning:

Me: Should I bring my camera today?

Lazy Me: Nah, it's going to rain and besides I'm already carrying my VERY heavy tool bag PLUS plants.

Me: Yeah, but I'll be walking home through the park and I might see something cool...

Lazy Me: Forget it! I don't want to carry the extra bulk and weight.

So, this morning I did NOT carry my camera and it's the last time I'll let Lazy Me win an argument for a very long time. There was so much to shoot on the terrace where I was working, and all I had was my woefully inadequate iPhone. The resolution is low, you can't choose a focal plain, or fiddle with aperture. Very, very frustrating.

Especially on this misty morning when there was much that was alluring: tightly pleated, young Viburnum leaves, Amelanchier flowers heavy with rain, buds just starting to unfold on the Rosa rugosa. None of those pictures turned out well enough to post here (dammit!) but I offer these few to show you what's growing today in a rooftop garden on the Upper West Side.

Japanese maple leaves unfurl.

Boston ivy looks demure and manageable in early spring.

Buds of staghorn sumac 'Tiger's Eye' are ready to pop.

I adore Rhamnus 'Fine Line'.

Next time I promise to bring my real camera.