SMELLING THE PASTELS

   

 

Summer and winter and 

springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To God's great faithfulness, mercy and love.

                SPRING is my FAVORITE time of year!!  

The doldrums of winter fade away.  Winter seems a dark season to me, and it is hard to avoid depression.  Often, I turn on several lights and keep bouquets of fresh  flowers within view to avoid complete hibernation.

             With Spring, the daylight remains a little longer.  Plants respond by stretching a    tentacle above ground, testing whether it        is safe to send up a couple of shoots.

Birds begin their morning greetings as the sun arises. Their joyful tunes, a fanfare of warmer days to come.

  This year, it seems to have exploded! We've had unusually high temps and an ample supply of rain that woke up the vegetation like a cold shower on a reluctant riser!

Spring seems a peculiar name for a season. I don't know why I feel that way.      

                                  

  I checked  the internet and found it  referenced.  "primarily the act of springing or leaping. The word is  hence applied in various senses: to the season of  the year in which plant life begins to bud and shoot." (Encyclopedia Britanica).

It also applies to water sources that spring from the earth. They contribute to other bodies of water such as lakes, wells, and streams. I think of springs as sources of cool, refreshing, water. Isn't the season like that? Refreshing after the cold and dreariness of winter?

It also describes a mechanism often used in clocks and watches. They help keep the time accurately. Should it be a surprise then, that we have to reset our clocks during the spring?   Springs are also used to add stabilization and comfort to various forms of travel.

     I relish the soft hues in the landscape. Forsythia along our fence is calling to me, "Come clip a few branches, and bring us inside where our bright yellow will make your whole room smile!"      

I thought of them as a romantic bush named by some suitor who gave the colorful shoots to his

dearest Cynthia--calling them "For Cynthia!"

But  their naming is not nearly such a love story. Rather, Wikipedia corrected me, explaining they were named by William Forsyth (Scotland; 1737-1804), during which time he served as head of the Royal Horticultural Society.

The daffodils, with their proper high Victorian collars are prepared for the cold nights that still linger.  Yet, they manage to pop in clusters, expanding each year.

As I drive, I see so many shades of pink, creamy white, and effervescent green! I feel rich! Of course, the limitation of a two-dimensional photo cannot capture and reproduce some of the marvelous perfumes permeating the air--even if they do make me sneeze.   

               What is YOUR favorite season of the

year?   How would you depict it?  What kind of

album would you fill to best describe its character??