Tamela: Green-up always happens with a flourish around here. There is a pinkish-greenish haze for a while which lingers as long as the spring warming spells are brief and not to warm. Then, one day you see that a few trees have new frocks and before you know it the entire woods are decked out in new finery; this usually occurs near a windy time so the trees seem to be swirling their skirts and shawls as they dance in the wind.
Carol Stuart: I have heard “greening up” my whole life. “Look how things are greening up! Spring is here for sure.” Have heard this in both WV and in VA.
PinnacleCreek: Green up used to sneak up on me when I traveled daily. I would get caught up in the “cares of the world”and not notice– would want to kick myself. Actually the time that got me excited was early spring when the mountains would take on a slight smoky rose color from the kazillion of new buds. Probably only exciting to me, but I knew Green up was close. I have lived where there were no seasons, and I will now be grateful even for a harsh winter that promises relief come Spring.
Ethelene Dyer Jones: “Have you noticed? It’s greening up!” That was a common expression among my Scots-Irish folks in the mountains of Choestoe Community, Union County, Georgia I like the time of early spring, even maybe seeing some green-up happen when frosts and/or snow still threaten. One year in May, my father had his fields of corn planted and the rows looked lush with green-up growth, the plants abundant, an inch or two high. Then a hard freeze–frost and maybe even snow–came to obliterate the green. The whole field had to be planted again after the cold snap passed. That’s part of the unpredictability of spring weather in our beloved mountain area. Green up can occur early; and then have to burst forth again.
Chuck Howell: Asheville town, Asheville town I’m goin back to Asheville town I’ll sit & watch the leaves turn brown Back in Asheville town
Asheville town, Asheville town Prettiest town I’ve ever seen I’ll sit & watch the leaves turn green Back in Asheville town
More verses to come,
Love from Uncle Chuck
Don Casada: One of my favorite aspects of greening up is the up part here in the mountains. You need to be at a place where you have a view of a mountainside with a couple thousand or more feet of elevation range. Down at the lower elevations, the trees will have taken on their dark summer hue, The shade of green grows lighter and lighter as you look up the mountain until there’s but a faint hint of green that’s taken holt in the warm pocket on the south face of a hollow.
Above that, occasional splotches of white-pink from sarvis blooms or maple seed reds show all the more brightly against the unashamed naked browns and grays at the higher elevations.
How sad it must be to live in a city surrounded by things made by man.
Flowers springing, birds singing, mountains greening, and the gloaming lingering are reminders that in spite of all the craziness in this world, the One who made it is still in control, as Robert Browning asserted a couple of centuries ago:
The year’s at the spring,
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill-side’s dew-pearl’d;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in His heaven –
All’s right with the world.
—-
Tipper
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The trees here are about leafed out but it came a windstorm yesterday and blew half of them off. But, they’ll be back in a couple of days to where you won’t even notice.
It has been greening up here in south central PA for at least three weeks. I thought I was watching for the leaves on the trees to unfurl and then “bam” they were showing off on most every tree. We had to cut grass last week or else we would have been raking on the next mowing. The flowering trees are everywhere. The Appalachian trail runs through here and the mountains are full of green – just a spectacular picture.
I think greeni g up when everything comes to life again, we also one to life again, in a sense. When we know Spring is here we all got happy.
A beautiful season!
In my neck of the mountains we had two solid days of rain before Easter with just the bare beginning of the promise of leaves. Easter morning brought new life! Seems every tree unfurled their leaves to celebrate with every imaginable shade of green, and the flowering trees were at their peak. Absolutely glorious!!
In the old days (and not so old that old man like me can’t remember it) in the late winter people would burn the woods to hasten the “green up” for the cattle to graze.
One of my earliest memories is sitting on the front porch of a late evnenin and watching the line of fire creeping down the mountain.
It was a sure harbinger of spring.
Heading up to Easter, my Dad sent me a picture to let me know things were greening up for our visit.
We are about a week behind up here in NE Ohio. But, this morning looks as pretty as can be.
Quite a group of poets or writers there. Maybe a touch of spring fever? I love that description “smoky rose”. It sure brings a picture to my mind’s eye. And there are several other words or phrases that do the same thing.
I agree with Jim Casada. How sad it must be to live in the city where you have to kook straight up to see the sky and you are among things made only by man.
Who plants a seed beneath the sod
and waits to see believes in God.
Greening up! It’s a beautiful time in Appalachia, it’s a beautiful time now. You look out at the mountains and suddenly one spring day the great grey smoky mountains have put on her best spring green dress! It’s beautiful to see and feel.