Color!

After the bleakest of the bleak winters we've ever experienced, we finally have a taste of Spring. At one point last month, temps soared to the high 70's. Then this week, we had freezing rain and back to the 30's. Oh well, just Mother Nature teasing us.

Actually, I don't really pay any attention to the weather. That is, unless I have a outdoor day planned or a trip so I can dress accordingly. I've hit Florida in January only to have to shop for sweatshirts and long pants. I enjoy the showers of April. It makes the grass green and, together with the sunshine, forces the sleeping tulip, daffodils and hyacinth to pop through the cold ground.

I have a little plot of land right in front of the front door that harvests a sea of yellow once a year. The daffs show their sunny faces for a few days, then a couple of red tulips join the party. Then the greenery is allowed to hang and die to make room for the perennials housed in the patch of land. I bring in some annuals for company; it makes for a welcome entry. The backyard has several different areas for planting. I love cut flowers so dahlias, zinnias, cosmos are staples. Cherry tomatoes, lettuce and green peppers always make it to my summer salad. There is something wonderful about picking warm tomatoes that I've grown and nurtured. And they're strictly organic so I can pop a few while I'm weeding inbetween the rows.

I have a little shed that houses my summer decorations: little garden statuary, great old clay pots, wind chimes. They dress up my outdoor summer living room. I'm in the market for a fire pit--maybe for my birthday in May?? I found out about them last year when friend brought one to a beach gathering. It was almost like the bonfires I remember from girl scouts, without the 'smores!

I'll enjoy the bright forsythia along the highways and the sprinkle of blue on the lawns from the tiny crocus. Pansies are showing their cute faces on everyone's doorstep. Splashes of color are everywhere. It's all there if we pay attention. I love the quote from "A Color Purple" by Alice Walker: "I think it pisses God off if you see the color purple in a field and don't notice." Look around--miracles abound!