We’ve just returned from a full week of traveling, bookmarked on each end with a graduation; one nephew’s college graduation and another nephew’s high school graduation (congrats to them both – I couldn’t be more proud!). The first part of the week found us in southern Missouri, south of Branson. With all the rain that has fallen (including while we were there), everything is a beautiful and lush green. The Ozark mountains were in their prime, and waterfalls were running full and fast. In other areas, flowers were in full bloom – iris and peonies, foxglove and phlox. We truly couldn’t have picked a better time for our trip. It was a great time to explore the area with its natural beauty – a wonderful relaxing time.
Author: lindastaatsphoto
Scent of lilacs
Not only has spring blossomed into our visual senses, but it has now spread its delightful scents throughout the air. With a few days of warming temperatures the lilacs quickly burst into bloom. How wonderful to be stopped in my tracks when their scent was being carried by the light breeze across the yard! To me, that is the true sign of spring’s arrival and the dismissal of the dark of winter.
The return of spring
Finally! The colors of spring have returned to our Minnesota landscape. The white of winter gave way to the brown, prior to the green of spring. And now the flowers have burst into bloom, adding their yellows and pinks. Not only has the landscape brightened, but peoples’ moods have been buoyed by the bright colors too. A bed of daffodils was showcased in front of a showy field of tulips — the best of spring all in one spot, and all blooming at the same time. When I was a child, we would make “baskets” out of colored construction paper, put flowers in them, and hang them on the doors of our neighbors to celebrate May Day. I’m intending this post as the present-day equivalent to my readers. Happy May and spring!
Redbud trees
One of my favorite things of spring are the redbud trees. Their bright pink to purple buds stand out in the otherwise drab landscape. They are generally not a “tidy” tree, but are often seen on the edges of woodland areas. As we were in Kansas City a week ago, the redbuds were in full bloom there. As the spring season has moved northward with warmer temperatures, the redbuds are now in bloom here in southern Minnesota. Their bloom may be short-lived, but their brightness speaks of the beauty and colors of spring.
A celebration of love and remembrance
A day of celebration, a day of love, filled with spirits, memories, honor, remembrance, a nod to the past, and a step to the future. A chapel designed by my father, bouquets of peonies to honor my mother, an intimate gathering of family and friends – a celebration to remember!
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