Our spring has blossomed once again. Even amidst the cooler temperatures and late season, the magnolias have flourished and bloomed. Their bright white is a wonderful precursor to the later vibrant colors of the tulips and annuals that will follow. Although they bloom for such a short period of time, they seem to be the early messenger announcing the change of seasons.
spring
Easter and spring-time
Today is Easter — a celebration of hope, spring, and renewal. So many things come to mind when I think of Easter, but one that brings a smile to my face are Peeps. With their sugar-coating, the beady eyes and pointed beaks, these purple peeps remind me of the child-like wonder that made Easter so special when we were young. My Easter and spring wish for you is a renewal of that hope and wonder we all search for at this time of year.
Store-bought spring
Spring has been hard-to-come-by in Minnesota. Although we’ve had some warmer temperatures they seem to be interrupted with cold fronts and more snow. Desperate for spring, I decided that even store-bought color would count. Yellow and green are the colors that represent the hope and promise of spring, and these lovely yellow tulips were calling to me at the store. With some sunshine and temps in the 40’s, I took my spring bouquet outside to photograph. A little bit of filtered sunshine seemed to bring them to life. What you don’t see in this image is the white snow that still covers the ground in places. But I can look at this image and focus on the promise of spring to come.
The tug of war between winter and spring
In the Midwest we experience a tug of war between winter and spring. The roller coaster of temperature swings, along with the snow, ice, and thawing, keep us in a limbo between the seasons. Just this past week we had enough snow melt that many things have become visible once again. The warmth of the sun melted all the snow off our yellow chairs and even caused the snow to recede enough to expose some of the lawn, albeit brown. The snow itself has lost its whiteness, instead looking pocked and littered. We navigate large puddles and potholes during the day, and track carefully across those same items covered in ice during the night and early morning hours. Soon (?) the tide will turn, and spring will win out. In the meantime, we keep coats, gloves, boots and snow shovels close by.
Anemones
Because of our cooler-than-normal weather, the usual flowering season for all of our plants has been delayed. The other night I went over to the horticulture garden at the University of Minnesota, not knowing what if anything I would find blooming. It was a cool, overcast evening with a slight breeze, and I was delighted to find these beautiful white anemones dancing as the wind blew through them. Their slender stems seemed barely able to support the blossoms as they swayed back and forth, but their brightness was a wonderful contrast to the gray evening. I have read of places where there are fields of anemones, and I can only imagine how delightful it would be to see an entire acre of dancing anemones!
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