It is a beautiful time of year right now — our garden is in full bloom.  I try to walk through the gardens each morning, allowing myself to observe the changes in the flowers and plants and to marvel at the new ones that have just bloomed.  Our roses have burst into bloom, the hydrangeas are coming along, the lilies are budded, but right now it’s the clematis that are stealing the show.  We have over a dozen different varieties, and each is unique in its sun & shade requirements, its bloom time, its size, and its color.  This photo is of one of the newer clematis – silver moon.  It’s bloom is large, soft, and of the palest color – almost as if whispering the shades and hues of its petals.  With a garden in full bloom it’s easy to overlook the cold and snow that Mother Nature sends to us in winter — this makes the wait all the more worthwhile.