Attribution: Paul Berzinn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
By Bill Stokes
Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in thankfulness and appreciation for once more being present with everyone else in the great dressing room as the magnificent cast of trees costumes up for yet one more sensational performance.
Having endured a long seasonal intermission of standing inert in bare-bark underwear the trees now all assume starring roles and a palpable excitement sweeps the panoramic stage of hills and valleys. Here and there a spectacular specimen makes a grab at stardom with an explosive blossoming, while most species routinely assume bud undergarments and go on to don their wonderous leafy wardrobes in early delicate shades that magically mature to a gorgeous green that generates whispering approval from the pine and spruce—avowed authorities on green.
That Kickass, as a dog, means only the greatest respect for trees in using them as territorial markers is a given, and he hastens to add that no such overt gesture is necessary for the keeper as he and Phyllis watch in awe as the trees dress up for the greatest show on earth.
Photo by Bill Stokes