Although we have over a foot of snow on the ground, the drought continues here in central Maine. The deep snow is deceiving. It certainly looks like a lot. I’m glad we have it, but we could use more. The fact that it hasn’t been above freezing for nearly a month means that nothing is melting. Not only that, the snow is so dry that the wind is still causing drifts across the roads two weeks after the last big snowfall.

Today I created grades for the 18 apple students I taught for the month of January at Colby College. There was one inflexible requirement for the course: they must attend every class. If you aren’t out in the orchard, how can you hear the trees and what they have to tell you? In the classroom it became my job to speak for the trees. The students came. They did their part. It was up to me to be the tree and share the experience of being in the orchard. What a responsibility the trees have to pick their words with care. And what a responsibility we have—as humans—when we share with one another.