The last day of March brings hope of the winter’s end. My potted Maple tree is coming back to life after a winter so harsh I though it might not survive. This Maple was sprouted in 2011 with a seed that fell from a Maple by my parent’s house.  It now stands about 2 feet tall and skinny in a 10 inch pot. In the winter it looks like a pathetic stick that should have been plucked, but by summer it looks like a small thriving Maple. I’d like to keep it alive forever and watch as it develops into a bonsai.  Each year the trunk grows a little thicker.