Saving Spring

Spring came to Home Depot a couple of days ago, but unfortunately winter wasn't ready to relinquish its hold. When I visited the garden center, I discovered that the employees had "moved Spring inside," away from winter's last (hopefully!) blast of cold air.  I captured the sad scene with my cell phone camera. The shelves and racks, both inside and out, were empty and the aisles were deserted, except for employees still moving things around.   I was headed from the garden center to inside the store when I was greeted by a profusion of color stacked high on racks of shelves.  It was so beautiful, but sad to see, too.       Due to the hard work of the Home Depot employees, brilliant red Cyclamens, Geraniums, and glorious yellow Jonquils were saved from the cold.                       Unfortunately, some other flowers and plants didn't fare as well ... like these pretty little blue flowers. And the top two rows of flowers in the picture below look as if they fought a hard battle with the cold. Perhaps they (and the blue flowers) will bounce back with a little sunshine and some water.  I hope so. If Home Depot has a "death row," I guess these plants would qualify. The bright green frond of the fern in the picture below shows how these ferns looked "before" they were exposed to the below-freezing temperatures of a day ago. Some more "death row" candidates ... so sad!  This label shows what those Lantana hanging baskets should look like ... It was strange to see tropical plants and flowers scattered throughout the aisles inside the store.   They were everywhere!     I'm so glad they were able to move Spring inside for a day or two and save all those beautiful flowers and plants.   It seems that all I've been doing lately is whining about the weather.  I know Spring is on its way ... I've actually seen signs along the roadsides and in our yard ... so I will try to be more patient and less "whiney," and will look forward to Spring's arrival, not only at Home Depot, but all over the great outdoors!

The Colors of Spring

{ Post No. 1050 }

I spent a very pleasant afternoon one day last week strolling the grounds and gardens of one of my most favorite places in Vicksburg -- the Old Court House Museum.

The above picture was taken when the dogwoods were blooming last Spring, but it's a little early for them to be blooming now.  However, the colors and signs of Spring were scattered everywhere, in spite of the recent heavy rains and cold winds we've been having in Vicksburg.   

Forsythia, Quince, and Narcissus were blooming ...

And, although the mauve irises looked rather downtrodden after a rain shower the night before ...

I managed to find a lovely bloom that withstood the wind and rain, as if it was just waiting for me to come along and capture it in all its glory before it, too, faded ...

And glorious, it was!

 Not to be outdone, the color purple was royally represented by this beautiful purple iris ...

Do you remember when Crayola had a crayon called "Spring Green?"  That's what came to mind when I spotted this bicycle leaning against the building ...

It's still a little early for the roses in the rose garden to bloom, but I came across a couple of lovely "early bloomers" ...

This forlorn-looking little hydrangea bush was tucked amongst the Camellias, its faded blooms patiently waiting to be replaced with this season's bright pink or blue blossoms.  If you look closely, by clicking on the picture, you can see tiny leaf buds popping out.  I'd love to go back in June to find out if it is a "boy or girl" hydrangea.

I loved rambling around the grounds of the Court House, and look forward to going back in a couple of weeks to capture the Azaleas and Dogwoods in bloom.  

In the meantime, I hope you will join me next time as I take you through the Crape Myrtle arch shown in the picture below,  and down the brick path to explore a very special memorial resting underneath the branches of that old oak tree in the distance.  

A Breath of Spring

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.                                                                                                  — Psalms 118:24

I know we should be thankful for each and every day, and find beauty in whatever weather the Lord sends our way ... but around this time of year, I always seem to find myself feeling restless and longing for warmer days and something GREEN outside the windows.



I call this restlessness "Spring Fever," and Mark Twain must have felt it, too, because he described exactly how I've been feeling for the past couple of weeks. Mr. Twain opined:

“It's spring fever when you don't quite know what it is you want,
but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”

Is that not profound!

I feel fortunate to live in Mississippi, where our winter landscapes and roads aren't covered with snow and slushy, dirty ice for weeks at a time. I can imagine how depressing that might be after a while, so I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one suffering from this thing we call spring fever.

Today, I'd like to send a little "breath of Spring" your way by sharing some of my pictures from last Spring. It seems like just a few weeks ago that I took these pictures ... so, hopefully, we won't have long to wait and pine before this Spring will be here.

Bradford Pear Tree

Bradford Pear Blossom

Japanese Tulip Tree

Nothing says "Spring" like Tulips ...

And Azaleas

And Dogwood ...

And here in Mississippi, when we see the Redbud Trees blooming, we know Spring has arrived ...

Most of these pictures were made last March, so we still have a few weeks to wait for its arrival here in Vicksburg. For those of you who have to wait a little longer, take heart and remember ...

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.
                                                        — Hal Borland

A Promise of Spring

This is the time of year, it seems, when most of us get "Spring Fever." We can't wait to get out in our yards and gardens and clean up all the leaves and plants turned brown by winter frost.

Even on the "bright-blue-sky-and-sunshiny-days" we are sometimes blessed with in January, we know in our hearts that it's too early. Winter's not over yet ... we still have February and March to feel its presence.

I recently came across this poem written by poet Albert Laighton, and it kind of puts things into perspective, I think:

Where man sees but withered leaves,
God sees sweet flowers growing.

~Albert Laighton

So, next time you look out your window at all those leaves in your flower beds, try to be patient ... it won't be long before we, too, can "see the sweet flowers growing."