The Mysteries of Spring

I had fun with my last mystery picture that wasn't much of a mystery for some of you. So how about this one? Got a guess before you read on? 

While you're thinking about it, let's talk about Spring. Here in Kentucky it was so cool in March that spring tarried and dragged its feet, but then April came along with sunshine and rain. Everything in sight burst into bloom. Redbuds, dogwoods, crab apples, lilacs, Bradford pear trees, tulips, to name a few. 

And the dandelion. 

People who want perfect lawns don't have much affection for the lowly dandelion, but I sort of like them. I made them a part of Lacey's story in The Blessed, by having her do a dandelion dance in the spring. And some years ago, I wrote this devotional about them. Here's a bit of it. If you want to read the rest of the devotional, you can find it on my website at this link, Ann's Dandelion Devotional)

The Lesson of the Dandelion 
God made the dandelion and said, "It is good. This plant is tough but has a bloom like a spot of sun to make my children smile. It is plentiful so they can eat the leaves and still never lack for flowers." He smiled when the seed ball popped up. "Yes, my little children will have fun with that, and look at all the fresh seeds for my songbirds weary from the winter. Yes, it is good."

So now if you haven't already figured it out, you know the mystery photo. I took the picture a week or so ago when the dew was extra heavy on the dandelion fluffs. Made them sparkle in the early morning light.

"If dandelions were hard to grow, they would be most welcome on any lawn." ~Andrew V. Mason

"The miracles of nature do not seem miracles because they are so common. If no one had ever seen a flower, even a dandelion would be the most startling event in the world." 


 "It gives one a sudden start in going down a barren, stony street, to see upon a narrow strip of grass, just within the iron fence, the radiant dandelion, shining in the grass, like a spark dropped from the sun." ~Henry Ward Beecher

So happy dandelion hunting and maybe dancing if you take the notion. I think if you look, you'll find some. :)

Do you enjoy Spring? What's the best part for you?

Spring has sprung!

It's officially spring by the calendar now. And on top of that we're having this super moon. I went out to look for it a while ago and it must be cloudy. I did see it last night, but not as it was coming up the way I wanted to. I am seeing everybody's pictures - those people who went out to look at the right time. Oh well.

~~

I am enjoying the coming of spring. The flowers blooming. The birds singing. The basketballs bouncing. March madness, you know, and my team's still in the hunt for at least one more game. So I can enjoy the madness another week. Once they get beat out, I lose a lot of my enthusiasm.

~~

This flower picture is from a spring a few years ago, but I thought it looked very springy. But have you ever noticed how a lot of the early spring flowers are yellow? Then the other colors get added in. My mom enjoys flowers. We try to keep something blooming on the table in the room where she sits the most. It gives her something to talk about and to enjoy. Right now since it was just her birthday, she has three bunches of flowers, an orchid and an amaryllis about to open up. Lots to enjoy. And a way to bring spring inside to her.

~~

Last week I asked my Facebook friends what made them think spring. We came up with some good signs of spring. Those singing birds and blooming flowers. Lawnmowers roaring. Fish biting. Basketball tournaments - that March Madness. Kids riding bikes. Children swinging at the park. Bats hitting balls. Busy car washes. Colorful garden centers. Easter baskets.

~~

Of course some of the FB friends also mentioned sneezing. Pollen aplenty in the air. And I could mention grumbling about taxes. Getting receipts in order is not the happiest way to spend a spring day, but I had to do that this weekend.

~~

In my upcoming Shaker book, The Blessed, that's due out in the summer, I have a character who does a dandelion dance to welcome spring. So I looked for dandelions when I went for a walk today. I saw scads of some kind of teeny white flowers. I didn't see a single dandelion. I surely just missed them. Or maybe I didn't see them on purpose so I wouldn't have to try that dandelion dancing. :-) Easier to stick to writing about dancing for me. I have two left feet. Then again, a dance to welcome spring wouldn't necessarily have to be graceful - just joyful.

~~
Here's a quote from Nadine Stair who sounds as if she might jump right in with my character to do that dandelion dance. "If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies."

~~

So I hope you are embracing spring and living each day with joy. What makes you know it's spring?