Thursday, May 17, 2012

If It's May It Must Be Time for Lilacs!

"With every leaf a miracle … and from this bush in the door-yard,
With delicate-colour’d blossoms, and heart-shaped leaves of rich green
A sprig, with its flower, I break."
Walt Whitman—When Lilacs Last in the Door-Yard Bloom’d. III. Leaves of Grass.

I love this time of year with Lilacs blooming and sharing its special fragrance with us on our walks in the garden. We celebrate the Lilac in our city which is lucky for me...because in my family it was our traditional bouquet of springtime! My mother loved picking Lilacs, smelling Lilacs and sharing Lilacs!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is a day to honor our mothers here and in heaven.  Spring is finally here and I am loving it. Yesterday we planted all of our flower pots and today I am just relaxing and enjoying the view.
As I type this I see our lilac bushes just beginning their glorious season. The Lilac Festival has begun and this is going to be one of those years when the lovely flowers will actually be blooming for the parade.

My dear Mother loved Lilacs and filled our home with jars and vases full of that fragrant blossom for as long as the season held out. We had a tall hedge along our yard, providing shade and privacy from a busy street. In our garden, we had a huge round bush that was a highlight of our block. From top to bottom, the blooms were so lovely that it gave many pleasure when mom cut large bouquets to share.

Mother has been gone for seventeen years yet I can still feel her pleasure in simple things of beauty. Those simple things are often the most wonderful things in life. Maybe because they seem to conjure up most of my memories.

Reviewing A Royal Christmas by Melody Carlson

...from the publisher...   Adelaide Smith is too busy for fairy tales. She’s been working hard to put herself through law school, and...