I Miss My Mom

Holidays come and go and many times we are happy to go on with life sans the holidaze. Many people have asked what I'm doing for Easter. I reply, "I don't really celebrate Easter." However, there was a time when Easter was quite warm and wonderful. It was always at my mother's house...Memere...as she was known to her grandchildren. She always did something a little out of the ordinary. This one year in particular, she made bunnies for everyone. I captured the raucous rabbits making merry at the dining room table with wine and a scrumptious bunny cake. I wonder how they really felt about that cake!

Unfortunately I didn't photograph the weightlifting rabbit she made for my "soon to be husband." She always made everyone feel at home and the food was delicious!

Spring is an especially difficult time because now my mother would be getting ready to plant seeds for the new season. I dedicate my flowery backyard to her and thank her for sharing her knowledge and love.

Global Warming???

I just read an article titled "Global warming hastens arrival of springtime," (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23709253/ ). The author, Seth Borenstein, cites some signs of Spring that are happening months ahead of time. For example, a butterfly that typically emerges in April/May has been spotted recently "fluttering" in California. He mentions that various trees are budding much earlier than usual. This reminds me of a situation that happened last year. Steve and I noticed that the Wisteria was loaded with blooms in early Spring. I never thought anything of the timing though. I just couldn’t wait to see the pergola covered in beautiful orchid tendrils. A week or two later we had a heavy frost….that was the end of all those buds. The Wisteria bloomed later…but it wasn’t the spectacle we originally anticipated.

With the calendar announcing Spring approaching, in less than 24 hours, I wonder how the plants and creatures will fare. On my morning walkabout, I noticed a sure sign of Spring, but now I worry that it’s way too early for the Bullfrogs to emerge. I didn’t have my camera with me at the time, so no photo today of the very healthy looking frog. However, I thought my nature loving friends would like to hear the sound of the backyard babbling pond. Steve just jump started the filters yesterday. The fish are quite active now that the water is moving.