Thoughts on Spring

Spring is my favorite time of year.  Everything that was brown and dull suddenly comes back to life.  The fresh colors and smells of blooms awaken the senses after the winter’s sleep.  People come out of their houses and spread their arms to welcome the warmth of sunshine.  The whole world recolors itself and draws us outside to rejoice and marvel in its beauty.
Spring reminds us that longer and warmer days are ahead.  It’s time to get out in our gardens and yards.  It’s time to plant and sow because the time to reap will come soon enough.  Time for lambs, calves, and foals to be born.  They will entertain us as they run and play in the pastures around their mothers.
Spring also means it’s time to plan our summers.  Are vacations included in those plans?  It’s time to get those reservations made.  Sometimes a vacation are only the weekends, but we love those too.  The anticipation of vacations is almost as sweet as the vacation itself.

I love having a flower garden.  I love seeing the first blooms of spring come out and add color to the world.  We planted a bunch of tulip bulbs which came up the first spring we had them.  Since then, they have diminished in number and clarity of color.  Not sure what we did wrong, but I think this fall we need to plant some more.  Nothing heralds spring like tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, and crocus.
My grandmother had a rose garden and iris in her yard.  They were so lovely!  Sometimes she cut a rose for me to wear on my dress to church.  I wanted a rose garden, but never had the skill or soil to grow them very well.  Of the four rose bushes I planted here, only one survives:  my peace rose.  At least I think it survived.  I wasn’t home last summer to keep it fed and I think it suffered because of it.  Time will tell if it comes out again this spring.
That’s one of the things I miss when we travel all summer, having a flower bed to tend.  I think it makes a home so attractive and shows the loving care of the owner.  With being gone so much, I will have to find a ground cover that requires little maintenance.  Any suggestions other than bark or gravel?
So enjoy your spring!  I hope it is colorful and warm and wonderful wherever you are!