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!
Spring’s light
In my longing for the colors of spring, I wandered into the McNeely Conservatory at Como Park. My spirits rose as I took in the colors and smells of our long-awaited season of spring – an array of lilies, tulips, ranunculus, and daffodils. Flowers the colors of the sun — the light of spring that we crave so much after the cold and white of winter. From underneath these tulips the light from above made them glow and shimmer – an ephemeral hint at their fragility and short-lived life in the transition between winter and summer.
Wind and ice
We made a day trip south to Faribault Minnesota yesterday. The day dawned with a dusting of snow, and a front moving through, prompting strong northerly winds up to 45 mph. Not a problem for driving south….As we were following along the southern shore of Cannon Lake, I was amazed at the whitecaps rolling across the water. I have never seen that much wind blowing over the open water. But then my eye caught the southern shoreline where the wind-blown waves were crashing. Because of the cold temperatures, the water was freezing along the trees and bushes. Everything was coated in ice, and even some of the icicles were leaning towards the south because of the incessant winds. As cold and windy as yesterday was, the pendulum of spring swung the other way today and we enjoyed sunshine and 60’s, with no signs of ice.
Spring’s attempt is foiled again
Spring is not known for its consistency. After tulips had broken through the ground, ice has been off the lakes, and everyone’s thoughts were turning to warmer temperatures, we got a slap of snow. The temperatures dropped, the winds picked up, and winter came sweeping back into Minnesota. I headed out before dawn to the Como Golf Course. The white dusting left some wonderful patterns and allowed the shapes of the trees to stand out in the landscape. It was still dark enough that the street lights around the lake were lit and glowed a beautiful golden yellow to contrast with the white landscape. And on the green, the red flag fluttered in defiance of the winter weather. Undettered, spring will try again this week to get its foothold on our landscape.
A house and a home
This has been a week of reflection for me. Those of you that have followed my blog the past few years know that my parents passed away within a few months of each other two years ago. The house that they moved into when I was three years old was the house that they shared until their deaths. The first owners of this house and the first house built on the block, they moved in with the dreams of their life together and the dreams of building a family. The house was the shell that was filled with the shared experiences of my parents, my two brothers, and myself as we all grew up. This home expanded to include grandparents, in-laws, grandchildren, and friends way too numerous to count. As the family grew, so too the house grew with additions designed by my father the architect. And with each addition and change, the new rooms were filled to the brim with more memories and love. The once new “stick-tree” in the front yard has matured and extends over the entire yard and house, its arms having held so many of us as we climbed up its branches. Each person who passed over the threshold knew they were welcomed with the large arms my parents opened. The house has now been passed on to the second owner in its 58 years. But I know that the house is only a structure; the people are the ones that made it a home. The memories and stories of the family and friends that have been a part of the structure will continue in our family throughout the generations that follow.
lindastaatsphoto.com 